We are at Hebrews 12:14. My bible has an added heading for the coming passage, "Warning against refusing god." Uh oh. It starts by telling the reader to "Make every effort to live in peace with all men." Nothing wrong with that. The author adds, "and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the lord." A command and a threat. But what exactly is holiness? How do I know if I don't have it? The reader is also to take care not to "miss the grace of god." What exactly is the grace of god? How do I miss it? The reader is also not permitted to allow a "bitter root" to grow up and cause trouble. Um, you guessed it, what in the world is he talking about? My guess is the author expects the reader to understand because they have a similar knowledge and experience that I don't have. It's 2000 year old insider language.
In verse 16, we are given more specifics. No one is allowed to be sexually immoral, probably as defined in the Old Testament. I don't think Jesus actually said a word about sex in the gospels. Also, no one is permitted to be "godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son." That is an example of godlessness? What about his brother, who took advantage of a hungry man for personal gain? Victim blaming at its finest. Even worse, according to the author, Esau tearfully begged for his blessing back. Shame on him. Heathen.
The author goes on to tell the reader that they are so fortunate that they don't have to approach a physical burning mountain, covered with stormy dark clouds, with a loud and threatening voice issuing from it, like Moses did. That was terrifying. No, instead, they get to come to the "heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living god." (Isn't it the same terrifying god that was on Moses's mountain?) The reader also gets to come to "thousands upon thousands of heavenly angels in joyful assembly." And that's not terrifying?
The reader also comes to the "church of the first born, whose names are written in heaven." I don't think the author means literal first born children here, but metaphorical first born "children of god." They also have come to "god, the judge of all men and the spirits of righteous men made perfect." Not women. They are not made perfect. (Sarcasm) They also come to "Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood (eww) that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." What is the reality behind all this metaphor, anyway?
You know Jesus's speaking blood? The author says it better not be disobeyed. Those of the past, who were warned on earth, did not escape when they were disobedient. (See the story of Moses and the people at the mountain.) Does the reader think he will escape a warning from heaven? Gasp! There were only earthquakes at that mountain of old. God has promised that, "once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." This is sort of a piece of a quote from Haggai 2:6. It's context is the building of the second temple, greater than the first, a purely physical building, not some heavenly temple. The author goes on to say that the words "once more" in the Haggai quote "indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain." How in the world did he come to that conclusion?
Chapter twelve ends by telling the readers they need to be thankful because they are getting a kingdom that can't be shaken. "So, worship god acceptably with reverence and awe, for our god is a consuming fire." Is that a physical fire or a metaphorical fire?
Till next time.
Showing posts with label Esau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Esau. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Malachi, part 1
As I read through the first chapter of Malachi, I notice a literary pattern. First Yahweh makes a statement. Next, Israel or the priests ask a question based on the statement. Next, Yahweh elaborates. Then Israel asks another question based on what Yahweh just said, and so on.
The first statement Yahweh makes is "I have loved you." He is asked in return, "How have you loved us?" Then Yahweh talks of Jacob and Esau, when what he is actually referring to is the lands of Israel and Edom. Jacob and Esau were brothers, yet Yahweh favored Jacob. The statement "Jacob have I loved" is quite famous. In Malachi, land of Edom is said to be a wasteland. Yahweh basically says it is cursed and under his wrath. The author of Malachi has associated Edom with Esau. Since we know Yahweh never actually spoke to anyone, the author clearly has some kind of prejudice against the land of Edom and its people that he wants to see maintained. If you read the Wikipedia article on Edom, you will see several possible reasons Israel may have had for its animosity. Plus, it is unclear if a kingdom of Edom even existed by the time of this writing. As is suspected of many prophetic writings, the prophet may have been writing about Edom after it was already destroyed. This prophecy that is not actually prophecy is called postdiction.
Yahweh's second claim is to tell the priests that he gets no respect from them. They show contempt for his name. The priests ask, "how have we shown contempt for your name? Yahweh says, "You place defiled food on my altar." (This is his third claim) The priests ask, "How have we defiled you?" The answer to that question takes up the rest of chapters one and two.
These are the ways the priests defiled Yahweh: 1. They offered crippled and diseased animals as sacrifices. "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal." If the priests do not listen to this admonition, they will also be cursed. Yahweh demands proper reverence, as in the old days when Levi was priest. 2. They married the daughters of foreign gods. This is akin to breaking faith with Yahweh. There is this weird kind of marriage analogy that represents Israel's relationship with Yahweh. In Malachi 2:14-16 it is not clear if god is talking about a man's actual relationship with his wife or his faith in god, or both. We are told Yahweh hates divorce. Yet Yahweh also hates the Jews' marriages to foreign women. He tells them not to break faith with the wife of their youth, but we saw in Nehemiah that the Jews were told to break up their marriages with the non-Jewish women. Confusing.
More to come.
The first statement Yahweh makes is "I have loved you." He is asked in return, "How have you loved us?" Then Yahweh talks of Jacob and Esau, when what he is actually referring to is the lands of Israel and Edom. Jacob and Esau were brothers, yet Yahweh favored Jacob. The statement "Jacob have I loved" is quite famous. In Malachi, land of Edom is said to be a wasteland. Yahweh basically says it is cursed and under his wrath. The author of Malachi has associated Edom with Esau. Since we know Yahweh never actually spoke to anyone, the author clearly has some kind of prejudice against the land of Edom and its people that he wants to see maintained. If you read the Wikipedia article on Edom, you will see several possible reasons Israel may have had for its animosity. Plus, it is unclear if a kingdom of Edom even existed by the time of this writing. As is suspected of many prophetic writings, the prophet may have been writing about Edom after it was already destroyed. This prophecy that is not actually prophecy is called postdiction.
Yahweh's second claim is to tell the priests that he gets no respect from them. They show contempt for his name. The priests ask, "how have we shown contempt for your name? Yahweh says, "You place defiled food on my altar." (This is his third claim) The priests ask, "How have we defiled you?" The answer to that question takes up the rest of chapters one and two.
These are the ways the priests defiled Yahweh: 1. They offered crippled and diseased animals as sacrifices. "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal." If the priests do not listen to this admonition, they will also be cursed. Yahweh demands proper reverence, as in the old days when Levi was priest. 2. They married the daughters of foreign gods. This is akin to breaking faith with Yahweh. There is this weird kind of marriage analogy that represents Israel's relationship with Yahweh. In Malachi 2:14-16 it is not clear if god is talking about a man's actual relationship with his wife or his faith in god, or both. We are told Yahweh hates divorce. Yet Yahweh also hates the Jews' marriages to foreign women. He tells them not to break faith with the wife of their youth, but we saw in Nehemiah that the Jews were told to break up their marriages with the non-Jewish women. Confusing.
More to come.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Genesis chapter 36
After reading chapter 36:
*This chapter is dedicated to Esau and his descendants. The main take away is that he was the founding father of the Edomites. They are associated with an area south of the Dead Sea. Later Edomites would be called Idumeans.
*Notice that verses 31-39 talks about kings of Edom, "before any Israelite King reigned." The wording suggests that this passage had to have been written after any Israelite kings reigned, which would have been long after Moses, the supposed author of the book of Genesis.
*This chapter is dedicated to Esau and his descendants. The main take away is that he was the founding father of the Edomites. They are associated with an area south of the Dead Sea. Later Edomites would be called Idumeans.
*Notice that verses 31-39 talks about kings of Edom, "before any Israelite King reigned." The wording suggests that this passage had to have been written after any Israelite kings reigned, which would have been long after Moses, the supposed author of the book of Genesis.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Genesis chapter 35
After reading chapter 35:
*After the Dinah episode, God conveniently tells Jacob to move to Bethel. Before they leave, Jacob gathers up all the idols and earrings his household has and buries them under the oak at Shechem. Remember his household now contains all the women and children of Shechem as slaves. The tree is most likely one of the "great trees" that were found near each town. They were where the people of those places went to consult their gods.
*As they pass through the land, nobody bothers them because the "terror of God" was upon them. If this actually happened, it would be more likely they had heard about the massacre and were afraid they would be next. When they got to Bethel, Jacob built an altar. Then Deborah, Rebekah's nurse dies and is buried. What she is doing with them is anybody's guess.
* Verses 9-15 are weirdly redundant and don't seem to fit in the story. There is reiteration of Jacob being named Israel, the promise of the land of Canaan for his descendants, and Jacob naming the place where God talked to him Bethel.
*The storyline continues with verse 16. They are on the move from Bethel when Rachel gives birth to another son named Benjamin. The birth was difficult and Rachel died. She was buried and Jacob set up a pillar to mark her tomb. They moved on again and while they are in Migdal Eder, Reuben sleeps with his father's concubine Bilhah. Bilhah had been Rachel's slave and was the mother of two of Reuben's brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Here it says she was a concubine, before she was described as a wife.
*Jacob finally reaches his father in Hebron. Isaac had lived 180 years when he dies and Esau and Jacob bury him. The year would be about 1777 B.C.E. , if we attempt to follow biblical chronology.
*After the Dinah episode, God conveniently tells Jacob to move to Bethel. Before they leave, Jacob gathers up all the idols and earrings his household has and buries them under the oak at Shechem. Remember his household now contains all the women and children of Shechem as slaves. The tree is most likely one of the "great trees" that were found near each town. They were where the people of those places went to consult their gods.
*As they pass through the land, nobody bothers them because the "terror of God" was upon them. If this actually happened, it would be more likely they had heard about the massacre and were afraid they would be next. When they got to Bethel, Jacob built an altar. Then Deborah, Rebekah's nurse dies and is buried. What she is doing with them is anybody's guess.
* Verses 9-15 are weirdly redundant and don't seem to fit in the story. There is reiteration of Jacob being named Israel, the promise of the land of Canaan for his descendants, and Jacob naming the place where God talked to him Bethel.
*The storyline continues with verse 16. They are on the move from Bethel when Rachel gives birth to another son named Benjamin. The birth was difficult and Rachel died. She was buried and Jacob set up a pillar to mark her tomb. They moved on again and while they are in Migdal Eder, Reuben sleeps with his father's concubine Bilhah. Bilhah had been Rachel's slave and was the mother of two of Reuben's brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Here it says she was a concubine, before she was described as a wife.
*Jacob finally reaches his father in Hebron. Isaac had lived 180 years when he dies and Esau and Jacob bury him. The year would be about 1777 B.C.E. , if we attempt to follow biblical chronology.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Genesis chapter 33
After reading chapter 33:
*Now Esau came along with his 400 men. Jacob put his wives in order from least to greatest, keeping Rachel and Joseph, his favorites, in the back. He then bowed seven times to Esau, but Esau ran up and gave him a brotherly greeting. They exchanged family news. Esau made a show of giving the gifts of animals back to Jacob, but they were kept in the end. Esau volunteered to travel with them, but Jacob made excuses because of the slowness of children and young animals. Esau then volunteered to leave some of his men with Jacob, which Jacob questioned as unnecessary. Didn't Esau trust him? So, Esau traveled on to Seir and Jacob went to Succoth instead. Then, with no explanation, he was suddenly camped outside Shechem. There he set up an altar to God.
*Now Esau came along with his 400 men. Jacob put his wives in order from least to greatest, keeping Rachel and Joseph, his favorites, in the back. He then bowed seven times to Esau, but Esau ran up and gave him a brotherly greeting. They exchanged family news. Esau made a show of giving the gifts of animals back to Jacob, but they were kept in the end. Esau volunteered to travel with them, but Jacob made excuses because of the slowness of children and young animals. Esau then volunteered to leave some of his men with Jacob, which Jacob questioned as unnecessary. Didn't Esau trust him? So, Esau traveled on to Seir and Jacob went to Succoth instead. Then, with no explanation, he was suddenly camped outside Shechem. There he set up an altar to God.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Genesis chapter 28
After reading chapter 28:
*Because Rebekah did not want Jacob to marry a Hittite woman, Isaac sent Jacob, with his blessing, to Laban to chose a wife from among his cousins. When Esau heard about this, he realized his parents didn't like Canaanite women, so he took another wife. This time it was his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael.
*On his journey, Jacob stopped for the night to sleep. He had a vivid dream of angels going up and down a stairway to heaven ( the sky ). Yahweh, whom no one has ever seen, stood at the top and spoke, renewing the promises he had made to Abraham and Isaac of giving the land to his descendants and blessing the earth through them.
*When Jacob awoke, he thought the dream must have been real because people took dreams very seriously back then. Not like today, when we know dreams are just our own random subconscious thoughts. He believed that spot was the gateway to heaven and named it Beth-el which means house of God. Then he made a vow that if God helped him accomplish his goal and return safely, the stone pillar he set up would be God's house (as if a God needs a house) and he would give him a tenth of everything he owned. The question is: What would God do with all that stuff?
*When Jacob awoke, he thought the dream must have been real because people took dreams very seriously back then. Not like today, when we know dreams are just our own random subconscious thoughts. He believed that spot was the gateway to heaven and named it Beth-el which means house of God. Then he made a vow that if God helped him accomplish his goal and return safely, the stone pillar he set up would be God's house (as if a God needs a house) and he would give him a tenth of everything he owned. The question is: What would God do with all that stuff?
Friday, July 24, 2015
Genesis chapter 27
After reading chapter 27:
*Isaac was getting old and growing blind. He wanted to settle his estate. So, he called his favorite son Esau and asked him to go hunt and cook some wild game for him, just the way he liked it. Then he would give Esau the all important blessing. Rebekah was listening and told Jacob all about it. She suggested they trick Isaac into thinking Jacob was Esau, so he could get the blessing instead. Jacob didn't want to be caught impersonating his brother and get a curse instead of a blessing. Rebekah said if that happened, the curse would fall on her. (More likely, being a smart woman, she knew that curses had no power.)
*So, Jacob and Rebekah prepared some meat. Jacob dressed up in Esau's clothes and tied goat skins on his body to make himself hairy like Esau. Jacob manages to convince Isaac he is Esau, even though he is a little unsure. All that rich, goaty smell finally convinced him. He blesses Jacob. Not only that, he says Jacob, who he thinks is Esau, will be lord over his brothers, too.
*As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau enters and tries to receive the blessing. Isaac figures out what happened and is very upset, because once those words are out of your mouth you can't take them back. Esau is understandably upset and begs for any blessing left over. What's left is pretty pitiful, because there is a magical blessing meter that measures how how many blessings can be given by one person. Apparently Isaac's blessing meant Jacob will be well fed, protected from curses, and have power over others. Esau will lose the outdoor life he loves, live by the sword, and will serve his brother, all because of some words spoken by a feeble old man.
*After Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac and Esau, Rebekah wanted Jacob to go to her brother Laban because she was afraid Esau would kill him. To accomplish this task, she manipulated Isaac by telling him Hittite women were disgusting and she did not want Jacob to marry one.
*Isaac was getting old and growing blind. He wanted to settle his estate. So, he called his favorite son Esau and asked him to go hunt and cook some wild game for him, just the way he liked it. Then he would give Esau the all important blessing. Rebekah was listening and told Jacob all about it. She suggested they trick Isaac into thinking Jacob was Esau, so he could get the blessing instead. Jacob didn't want to be caught impersonating his brother and get a curse instead of a blessing. Rebekah said if that happened, the curse would fall on her. (More likely, being a smart woman, she knew that curses had no power.)
*So, Jacob and Rebekah prepared some meat. Jacob dressed up in Esau's clothes and tied goat skins on his body to make himself hairy like Esau. Jacob manages to convince Isaac he is Esau, even though he is a little unsure. All that rich, goaty smell finally convinced him. He blesses Jacob. Not only that, he says Jacob, who he thinks is Esau, will be lord over his brothers, too.
*As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau enters and tries to receive the blessing. Isaac figures out what happened and is very upset, because once those words are out of your mouth you can't take them back. Esau is understandably upset and begs for any blessing left over. What's left is pretty pitiful, because there is a magical blessing meter that measures how how many blessings can be given by one person. Apparently Isaac's blessing meant Jacob will be well fed, protected from curses, and have power over others. Esau will lose the outdoor life he loves, live by the sword, and will serve his brother, all because of some words spoken by a feeble old man.
*After Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac and Esau, Rebekah wanted Jacob to go to her brother Laban because she was afraid Esau would kill him. To accomplish this task, she manipulated Isaac by telling him Hittite women were disgusting and she did not want Jacob to marry one.
Genesis chapter 26
After reading chapter 26:
*There was a famine. God told Isaac not to go to Egypt but to stay in that area so God could bless him. So, he went to Abimelech, King of the Philistines. The study bible says this must have been a descendant of the Abimelech Abraham dealt with, but we have no way of knowing. Just like his father, Isaac told the people that Rebekah was his sister because he was afraid they would kill him for her. However, this time it wasn't even a half truth. Abimelech saw Isaac and Rebekah in a public display of affection and said, "what's up with that?" Isaac explained and Abimelech gave orders that they were to be left alone.
*Isaac became very prosperous and the Philistines became very jealous. Abimelech told him it was time to go. So he took his family back to the area where his father had dug some wells. There were disputes with other nomadic groups over those wells and some other wells Isaac dug. Finally, he dug a well that nobody else wanted.
*Then Isaac went to Beersheba and had his own personal revelation from his father's God. He built an altar, dug another well, and settled down there. Abimelech came to him to make a peace treaty and there was a party to celebrate.
*Verse 33 is very confusing. It says Beersheba got its name because of the well Isaac dug. However, it was called that before he dug the well. His father had also been to Beersheba long before.
*As an afterthought, we are told that at the age of 40 Esau married two Hittite women, which made Isaac And Rebekah unhappy.
*There was a famine. God told Isaac not to go to Egypt but to stay in that area so God could bless him. So, he went to Abimelech, King of the Philistines. The study bible says this must have been a descendant of the Abimelech Abraham dealt with, but we have no way of knowing. Just like his father, Isaac told the people that Rebekah was his sister because he was afraid they would kill him for her. However, this time it wasn't even a half truth. Abimelech saw Isaac and Rebekah in a public display of affection and said, "what's up with that?" Isaac explained and Abimelech gave orders that they were to be left alone.
*Isaac became very prosperous and the Philistines became very jealous. Abimelech told him it was time to go. So he took his family back to the area where his father had dug some wells. There were disputes with other nomadic groups over those wells and some other wells Isaac dug. Finally, he dug a well that nobody else wanted.
*Then Isaac went to Beersheba and had his own personal revelation from his father's God. He built an altar, dug another well, and settled down there. Abimelech came to him to make a peace treaty and there was a party to celebrate.
*Verse 33 is very confusing. It says Beersheba got its name because of the well Isaac dug. However, it was called that before he dug the well. His father had also been to Beersheba long before.
*As an afterthought, we are told that at the age of 40 Esau married two Hittite women, which made Isaac And Rebekah unhappy.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Genesis chapter 25
After reading chapter 25:
*Abraham marries again when he is over 137 years old. In spite of his advanced age, he fathers 6 sons by his new wife. He had more sons by concubines. While he was alive, he gave his concubine's sons gifts and sent them to live in the East, away from Isaac.
* Abraham dies at 175 years of age. Isaac and Ishmael bury him with Sarah. Isaac inherits everything. The year is about 1880 B. C. E., according to Biblical chronology. Shem, the son of Noah would still be alive until 1846 B.C.E.
*We are given the names of the twelve sons/tribes of Ishmael. Ishmael died at the age of 137, which would have been about 1833 B.C.E. His descendents settle in land to the east, which some people believe was the Arabian peninsula. There is no concrete evidence supporting this.
*Isaac had married Rebekah at the age of 40. She didn't have children until Isaac prayed for them. (Barrenness, and praying for a child who is granted by God, who then becomes something special, is another theme we see throughout scripture. ) Rebekah found she was going to have twins, and they were wrestling inside her. Yahweh told her that her boys would be the fathers of two nations and the older would serve the Younger Brother. The first boy was red and hairy, they named him Esau. The second boy was born holding on to his brother's foot, they named him Jacob. Thier names are puns associated with their birth. In fact, so many bible names are so punny, it makes you wonder if they were made up to fit the story.
*Esau became a hunter and daddy's boy. Jacob was quiet and stayed at home with mom, who loved him best. One day, Esau came home from a hunt famished and saw Jacob cooking stew. Esau begged for some stew and Jacob said he would give Esau stew in return for the right to inherit the firstborn's portion of their father's estate. Esau agreed, which was awfully stupid. Here, we see an etiological story that plays right into the theme of the book of Genesis. Later descendants of Esau will encounter descendants of Jacob and the reader will look back and say, look there is the reason life is the way it is today. The storyteller knows all this in advance, of course.
*Esau swore to give his birthright to Jacob. Jacob gave him stew. According to the text, Esau despised His birthright. Clearly, Jacob despised Esau. A person who thought he was a descendant of Jacob wrote this story.
*Abraham marries again when he is over 137 years old. In spite of his advanced age, he fathers 6 sons by his new wife. He had more sons by concubines. While he was alive, he gave his concubine's sons gifts and sent them to live in the East, away from Isaac.
* Abraham dies at 175 years of age. Isaac and Ishmael bury him with Sarah. Isaac inherits everything. The year is about 1880 B. C. E., according to Biblical chronology. Shem, the son of Noah would still be alive until 1846 B.C.E.
*We are given the names of the twelve sons/tribes of Ishmael. Ishmael died at the age of 137, which would have been about 1833 B.C.E. His descendents settle in land to the east, which some people believe was the Arabian peninsula. There is no concrete evidence supporting this.
*Isaac had married Rebekah at the age of 40. She didn't have children until Isaac prayed for them. (Barrenness, and praying for a child who is granted by God, who then becomes something special, is another theme we see throughout scripture. ) Rebekah found she was going to have twins, and they were wrestling inside her. Yahweh told her that her boys would be the fathers of two nations and the older would serve the Younger Brother. The first boy was red and hairy, they named him Esau. The second boy was born holding on to his brother's foot, they named him Jacob. Thier names are puns associated with their birth. In fact, so many bible names are so punny, it makes you wonder if they were made up to fit the story.
*Esau became a hunter and daddy's boy. Jacob was quiet and stayed at home with mom, who loved him best. One day, Esau came home from a hunt famished and saw Jacob cooking stew. Esau begged for some stew and Jacob said he would give Esau stew in return for the right to inherit the firstborn's portion of their father's estate. Esau agreed, which was awfully stupid. Here, we see an etiological story that plays right into the theme of the book of Genesis. Later descendants of Esau will encounter descendants of Jacob and the reader will look back and say, look there is the reason life is the way it is today. The storyteller knows all this in advance, of course.
*Esau swore to give his birthright to Jacob. Jacob gave him stew. According to the text, Esau despised His birthright. Clearly, Jacob despised Esau. A person who thought he was a descendant of Jacob wrote this story.
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