Spotted, speckled, and dark colored…Gen 30

In my reading, I have been working through Genesis. And Genesis in many ways is a difficult book. Not because I struggle to believe it, but because we see things in the lives of some of the patriarchs that are so different from our own culture that we are not sure how to handle them.

For example, I my previous entry (Fetching Rebekah…) we have the swearing of an oath by the putting of a hand on the inner thigh….how strange. And in Genesis 30, we have Jacob increasing his flock by what appears to be, at the very least, deceptive.

Jacob comes to an agreement with Laban that he will get all the spotted and speckled goats and sheep. But in the making of the deal he says “my honesty will testify for me in the future” (30:33). However, the story suggests that he takes intentional measures to insure that he comes out ahead in the deal by manipulating the breeding process in his favor. This seems less than “honest.” Yet, Jacob receives God’s blessing. So, were Jacob’s actions questionable? Or are they simply recorded as fact and not evaluated in the text? Good questions to ask in heaven.

Jason Cooper

Fetching Rebekah…Gen 24

Today I read in Genesis 24 which is the story of Abraham sending off one of his servants to his homeland in order to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham did not want his son marrying one of the “local” women, the Canaanites.

The servant, who is not named, takes the job very seriously and prays that God will answer Abraham’s prayer for a wife for his son.

There is one thing in this passage that is interesting to me.

In verse 2 Abraham has the servant swear an oath by having him place his (the servant’s) hand under his (Abraham’s) thigh. This, of course, seems very odd today. A quick look at a commentary tells us that it was common to include some kind of gesture or object when swearing an oath (like swearing on the Bible). And in this case, the thigh likely refers to the inner thigh, thus symbolically swearing to find a wife for Isaac in order to carry on the family line…still pretty strange by today’s standards, but common in that culture.

Jason Cooper

"Your only son" – Gen 22:2 & 12

Genesis 22 records the testing of Abraham. You know the story…God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. And this after God miraculously opened Sarah’s womb when she was very old. Also after God had repeatedly promised Abraham a son and descendents. Also after Abraham’s son through Hagar had been sent away. Abraham had to have had some doubts…but the text does not suggest that he did. In fact, verse 8 suggests that he knew God would be faithful if he was faithful, and provide an alternative sacrifice.

What interested me as I read this passage this time through was the repeating of the phrase “your son, your only son” (v. 2, 12). A Christian can not help but think of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”

Now, I don’t know that this is much more than a coincidence that these phrases are similar in these passages, but it is amazing how God’s story of redemption contains, at the very least, so many parallels. To think that Abraham’s promised son, the one who would bring blessing to all nations, would have to die…that would have been difficult to understand. Yet, the “blessed” one that came from this very family line would have to do just that to bring the blessing anticipated…anticipated even clear back in Genesis.

Jason Cooper

Who is Responsible…Gen 16:1-5

Genesis 16:1-5

I have been reading in Genesis and as I read I often notice things I wasn’t aware of before, or that I had forgotten.

I find it interesting that in this passage of Genesis Sarai says what appears to be an odd thing.

This is the story of about how God had promised Abram offspring, but Sarai had been barren her whole life and now she was old, as was Abram. So, she told Abram to take her maidservant and sleep with her and provide a family through her.

Abram did exactly what his wife asked of him, and Hagar became pregnant.

Then in verse 5 Sarai, sensing Hagar’s attitude, becomes upset with the whole arrangement (an arrangement she made) and says to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering…” (v. 5, NIV).

Now I realize there are cultural practices involved here that are so far from our experience that it makes this passage a little hard to understand. But what I was pretty sure I understood was that this was Sarai’s idea. How is it that she now blames Abram???

That is one thing about historical narratives like this…it isn’t always clear if a behavior was right or wrong. We don’t always know what “should” have happened. We don’t always know if what we are reading would have been “normal”. What we do know from these kind of passages is that God works despite our efforts (intentionally or unintentionally) to get in the way.

So, was Sarai being unfair in blaming Abram??? I don’t know. Was what Abram agreed to a moral failure on his part? Possibly. But one thing is clear…God’s plan proceeds.

Jason Cooper