One more day until we are done with Genesis and move on to Exodus!!! Way to go guys, we are well on our way!!! :)
Chapter 44: verse 9-10... I thought it was interesting that the servant said that it would be as they said, but really then followed it with a much lesser punishment.
In verse 13, it says they "tore their clothes"... now I know this is like the umpteenth time this has been in the Bible, but does anyone know if it really means that they literally tore their clothes, and then had to go around with ripped up stuff on, or is it figurative for "just really upset", or what? If it means that they really tore their clothes up, do you know why they would do that? History behind it, etc?
I thought it was really sweet of Judah (verse 18 and on) to try to keep his promise to his dad and take care of Benjamin.
Chapter 45: I wondered why it was important that the Bible mentions in verse 2 that the Egyptians and Pharoh's house heard about Joseph crying... maybe it says something more about it later, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal, since Pharoh is happy to hear that Joseph's family is there (verse 16)and Joseph doesn't lose face or power or anything that I notice... any ideas as to why it's there? If not, no big deal. :)
I did think that verse 5 was a little cocky, because Joseph never apologizes for his ornerniness (like the tricks he was just playing), however I like Val's comments about needing to show his brothers his power and abilities, and such. I just think that when he says that they shouldn't be sorry for all they did to him, he should maybe apologize for all he knowingly put them through, too... I don't know, maybe not?
I love, LOVE verse 7!!! I hope I can have that much faith and see the good side of hard times like that. :)
I thought it was cool that God got the Isrealites the very best land... He didn't just get them land, it was the best... everything God does is the best, it is never mediocre.
I also LOVE verse 24, when Joseph tells his brothers not to quarrel on the way home... I just started laughing when I read that. :)
Chapter 46: verse 28 made me smile when I thought about how they would give directions in the desert. :)
The end of verse 34 said that "all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians", yet they owned livestock, so someone had to care for their animals... the Egyptians must have thought themselves better than the shepherds... which is interesting since they then became lower than the shepherd (in Gen 47, when they sell off all their land and willingly become slaves to Egypt... the very Egypt where the "shepherds"/Isrealites are now landowners, so are higher than the Egyptians which are now slaves)... the other thing this made me think about was when Jesus talked about Himself as the "Good Shepherd", I wondered what the Egyptians thought of this. The Hebrews, being shepherds themselves, some of them, would have related, but the Egyptians would have looked down on this analogy, maybe... so, I wonder if Jesus contextualized Himself in another way for them, or how whatever... maybe I'll get the answer when we reach the New Testament, but just thought about it now.
Chapter 47: I was impressed that Pharoh thought so much of Joseph that he wanted to hire Joseph's brothers for his own livestock and stuff. (verse 6).
I had to laugh at verse 8... of all the questions to ask, why would he choose to ask "How old are you?"... and I read it with the emphasis on "are"... "How old ARE you?"... like Jacob was really incrediously old or something... anyway, just had me chuckling. :)
Wondered in verse 11 if the district of Rameses was in reference to King Rameses and if that was the name of the current Pharoh... was this his special land... where they given the Pharoh's land? Just wondered...
The second half of Gen 47 made me think that that is a good lesson of why we should stay out of debt, and kind of reminded me of how credit card companies work... they keep taking and taking, acting like they are giving, until you are so far in the hole you have to "sell your self/soul" to get out... it also made me think if we are doing this to ourselves now, by letting the US government bale us out so much and all the "free" money people receive for medical and food supplements... we've had to use them, so I was thankful they were there, and I am not smart in politics, but a warning bell kind of went off that maybe we should think twice about whether we will be "slaves to our own land" soon... nothing new under the sun, afterall...
I thought it was interesting that the priests didn't have this problem... I would say that God takes care of His own, but I think that they were pagan priests, so I don't want to misuse the context... however, in my own mind it is still a comfort. :)
Verse 24 made me wonder, if there is a famine and the people can't grow food with their own seeds, how will they be able to grow them with the Pharoh's seed? Was the famine over now?
I know this is at least the 2nd time that we've seen this type of promise thing (verse 29), but I still think it is kind of odd... I like the "pinky-swear" much better... any thoughts on where this originated or why they started swearing that way? Just curious. :)
Ok, sorry, no major insights tonight, but I am really enjoying reading Joseph... it is a nice change from all the corruption and awfulness that had been going on up to this point... it is a breathe of fresh air to read about a faithful, loving, forgiving man.... makes me remember that that is why we are here, to be that breathe of fresh "God" air in a world that desperately needs something other than the rottenness surrounding us.... and it reminds me of how great it is to experience, so I want to share it with others. Have a wonderful night! :)
God Bless,
sandJ
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Re-read it today.
ReplyDeleteSandj
-44 putting the silver in Benjamin's sack, was this some sort of test for his brothers, to see if they had changed or not. Was he trying to see if they would sell-out Benjamin? It seems to me that that is what he was doing, testing him while he could, before they knew who he was to see if they would respond honorably or not.
ReplyDelete-44 all of the comments about Joseph weeping so loudly is hard for me to imagine. I'm sure it's cultural, but it's just hard to picture since I'm not used to seeing men in my life cry (i.e. husband, dad, brother). Not saying it's not justified, again, just hard to imagine - and when I picture it, I kind of picture him being a drama king, not genuine, but I know from the text that it was, in fact, genuine.
-45 I'm just imagining this awesome picture of salvation. What struggles this family had gone through, and then the elation, when they came to understand and believe that what Joseph was saying was actually true, and they would not only be saved from the circumstances, but their circumstances were about to be elevated beyond their imaginations. It reminds me of what Jesus did for us when he came to earth to die for us, and what our story of salvation looks like.
-46:1-2 thought it was interesting that AFTER Jacob offered sacrifices to God is when God spoke to him and reassured him. This is true for me today, too - I don't hear from God until I take the time to be with God.
- Reading your notes on tearing the clothes, here's an article on tearing clothes, no idea if it's valid, but was interesting and agreed with what I thought about it:
http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/165,2110324/Why-do-mourners-tear-their-clothing.html
-45:2 I read the part about them hearing the crying as a way to describe again just how distraught he was and what level of weeping we were talking about. It definitely helped give me a bigger picture in my mind than if they had just said he was weeping. Whenever I read about loud weeping in the Bible, it reminds me of when Sang's aunts came to visit from Korea. We took them to his dad's place of burial, and as soon as the car was stopped, they bolted, running at the stone, both wailing very, very loudly. I had no idea what was going on. Sang later explained that it was a very normal cultural thing to do to show grief for the dead. Anyway, whenever I read about it, I get that picture in my mind, that it's a learned behavior that is an outward expression of their inward feelings, something that we don't do much of in this country. :)
-there was some interesting theories on the hand under the thigh for swearing on the internet, I'll let you search for yourself, but basically it sounds like it was a custom, it's significance is debatable
Thanks for your insights!
Val-Thank-you so much for your comments and insights! Your word pictures of weeping and the understanding of cultural differences were SOOO helpful. And I loved your expression of salvation in Josephs story. We are so blessed to read your insights... we learn so much from them. Thank you for the "tearing clothes" site, too... I thought it was interesting that they only tore their clothes to the "heart" to expose their broken heart... it helped me get rid of the idea that they had these all raggedy, strips of cloth hanging off of them... I liked this part of the explanation as well: "It also shows that the mourner can no longer express love to the departed, which is a painful realization. As he tears his garment, the mourner shows that his physical relationship with the departed has been severed. Keriah (tearing the garments) contains a positive message as well. It conveys the duality of mourning. On the one hand, death is a painful loss and one expresses that pain by ripping one’s garment. On the other hand, a garment is not you; it is only an accessory. Likewise, the human body is the soul’s accessory. The soul has now shed its garment of expression in this life. There is a subtle message of hope in keriah - that the soul lives on; it has only outgrown this garment."
ReplyDeleteThe idea of severing the relationship with the person reminded me of why it is so important to reach out to others with the Good News of Jesus while they are alive... I think of Micheal Jackson and others who seemed so lost here on earth, and feel sad that they can no longer learn about God's love, and are now, very possibly, experience the painful eternal separation from God's love for ever. That is a reason for deep grief. However, I also think about the hope we have in Christ, and how although we are sad that we no longer get to enjoy the presense of our loved ones who knew Jesus here on earth, when they die, we still do not have to overcome by grief, because we have the hope that they are in the eternal presence of God's unconditional love, a much better place than here, and that we will be reunited with them again in the future, for all eternity. I like the symbol that the garment is only a temporary outercovering, like our bodies, and it is a reminder that our soul can live in Heaven for eternity with God. I don't think I will begin ripping my clothing anytime soon, but I do have a much better appreciation for this practice, and really appreciate the symbolism behind it. Thanks for the link, Val!
In His Love,
sandJ