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

I try to find something new to write about these passages each year as I go through them another time, but sometimes, such as today, I find an idea from a passage which I have written about before seems like what I should cover again this year.  So, I am going to write about when Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him to God.  First, the accounts around this indicate that Abraham was involved with the culture around him, even though he was not part of it.  Our knowledge of that culture suggests that child sacrifice was not uncommon among them.  So, this gives us the context for Abraham receiving the instruction to sacrifice Isaac.  The story of Abraham offering to sacrifice Isaac serves two purposes.  First, it foreshadows God sacrificing His own Son.  Second, it serves as an object lesson that God does NOT desire child sacrifice.

When Isaac asked Abraham where the animal for sacrifice was, Abraham responded with equivocation and what he thought was deception by saying that God would provide one.  It turns out that Abraham was prophesying because God did indeed provide an animal for sacrifice.  So, Abraham was misleading Isaac when he told him that God would provide an animal for sacrifice, but God used what he said to build up Isaac’s faith, and to provide us with an object lesson.  When you know that you have been called by God to take an action but do not believe that you have the resources to execute, act anyway, because, if God has called you to act He will provide the means.

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

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

I am often struck by the fact that Sarai’s decision to encourage Abram to attempt to have a son by Hagar immediately follows God entering into a covenant with Abram promising that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.  Then, after Ishmael is born, God gives Abram the name Abraham and Sarai the name Sarah while once more promising that Sarah would bear Abraham a son. And Abraham scoffs at the idea that Sarah would bear a child at her advanced age, and asks God for Ishmael to live under His blessing.  So, we see here that Abraham, the man who is held up as the exemplar of faith, struggled with doubts.  If Abraham had doubts, why do we think that we can’t ever have any doubts?

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

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

When Abram returned to Canaan from Egypt with Lot, he realized that between them he and Lot had too many flocks and herds to continue together.  Instead of sending Lot away, Abram offered Lot the choice of where to settle, while Abram would move away from there.  Lot chose the area which he believed to offer the better opportunities.  Abram did not insist on what he thought was the better territory, even though most would have thought him entitled to do so.  Of course, we know how that worked out.  We get the first indication that Lot chose poorly when he, and his family, were taken captive (probably to be enslaved).  Abram, because of the choice he made, became a force to be reckoned with, with allies who were also forces to be reckoned with, and was able to rescue Lot and his family.  So, Abram trusted God to provide and did not believe it necessary to seize the main chance.  We also should trust God to provide and not feel like we must outcompete those around us.

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

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

After the flood, God promised twice that He would never again destroy all living creatures because of mankind.  Further, He emphatically states that as long as the earth endures, the seasons will continue.  In fact, God entered into a covenant with Noah, his descendants, and all living things about this.  God gave the rainbow as a sign of this covenant which He entered into with all living things.  This is one of two passages in Genesis which inform our understanding of how we should treat the earth.  The first such passage is Genesis 1:26, where God gives mankind dominion over all creatures on earth.  Elsewhere God tells us that the earth, and all that is upon it, belongs to Him.  So, those passages tell us that we have the right to change the earth in ways which make our lives better.  On the other hand, we must also care for the earth so that we do not damage it, just as we have a responsibility to not damage property belonging to others which they allow us to use.  So, we should care for this earth and not make a mess of it.  However,  we should never allow others to convince us that a catastrophe awaits if we fail to take some course of action.  I firmly believe that God’s promise in today’s passage means that He will not allow mankind to destroy the earth, or even to make it uninhabitable for mankind.  That is not a license to do as we please.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 4-7.

We have two key stories in today’s passage.  The first is the story of Cain and Abel.  Actually,  first I want to note the reason Eve gave Cain his name.  She says that she named him this because she acquired him, or brought him forth, with the aid of the Lord.  In this way she acknowledges that it was by God’s grace that she gave birth.  We also should give God credit for that which we acquire.  Whether they be children or material goods, we only acquire anything in this world with the aid of God.  Which brings us to the story of Cain and Abel.  Cain was angry because God looked with favor on Abel’s offering, but did not look with favor on Cain’s offering.  Essentially, Cain was jealous of his younger brother.  God confronted Cain over his anger, and told him that if he did what was right he would be accepted.  However, if he did not do what was right, sin was just waiting to take him.  Unfortunately, Cain did not heed God’s word and instead killed his brother.  We must heed God’s words to Cain and do what is right so that we may rule over sin, rather than allow sin to rule over us.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 48-50.

My thoughts on this passage are scattered, just as they were last year.  First, the obvious explanation for Jacob adopting Ephraim and Manasseh is that by doing so he gave Joseph two shares of his legacy.  This fits Jacob since Joseph was the eldest son of Rachel, the only woman Jacob wanted to marry.  However, it always seems to me like there is more to it than that.  I am not sure that there is, but every time I read this passage I expect to see some meaning there that I have not seen before.  Then we have Jacob’s blessings of his twelve sons.  Many scholars see this as an indication that this was written after the Israelites conquered Canaan.  However, I see this as being Jacob interpreting his sons personalities and predicting how and where their descendants would choose to live.  I also believe God’s Spirit gave Jacob a bit of insight into what was to come for his sons descendants.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 45-47.

Many people hold a grudge against those who have wronged them, even after the end result of the wrong is something markedly better than anyone could have imagined happening to them without the wrong first occurring.  Joseph did not.  When Joseph’s brothers discovered who he was, they were terrified.  They were sure that he would use his position to get revenge on them for the wrong they had done him.  However, Joseph looked at what they had done and realized that God had used it to get him to where he was.  Instead of seeking revenge against his brothers for what they had done to him, Joseph praised God for putting him into those bad circumstances in order for him to be in the position to do good things later.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 42-44.

My first thought when reading this was, “Why did Joseph choose Simeon as the one to keep as prisoner until his brothers returned with Benjamin?”  I did an Internet search to see if anyone remembered a passage which explained this choice.  I found the suggestion that Joseph chose Simeon because of his role in extracting revenge for Dinah’s rape, which I suppose is possible, but seems unconvincing to me.  Others suggested that Simeon was the brother who suggested killing Joseph before Reuben convinced them to put him in the cistern (so that he, Reuben, could release him later), but that is just speculation, as the Bible does not attribute that to a specific brother.  My conclusion is that the Bible does not contain an answer to that question, which means that Joseph’s reasons for choosing Simeon are not important.  Initially, I intended to leave my comments about Joseph choosing to imprison Simeon there. but I was reminded about one of the rules for spotting “urban legends.  The rule tells us that when we hear a story which fails to mention the names of key participants, or other information which can be used to either corroborate the story, or falsify it, from other sources that suggests that the story might be an urban legend.  So, the fact that this account identifies Simeon as the brother who was imprisoned by Joseph, and that later we are told that Simeon was reunited with his brothers when they returned with Benjamin.  While the reference to Joseph imprisoning, and later releasing him, does not provide conclusive proof, it does lend support to my faith that this story reflects an event which actually happened (and that this account accurately describes that event).

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