This is what really started it all for me. I can’t remember how young I was, probably in junior high, when I read the story of Noah for myself. I remember being…upset. I remember wanting to know where the rest of the story was. See, I was told that a) Noah tried to convince his … Read more
Well, that’s Genesis. Anyone understand the why Israel ‘blessed’ his sons the way he did? Was it just cultural practice for them to bless their children as they faced death? Is the accuracy of his prophecy particularly relevant? I found a wonderful article that goes through the blessing and explains both what Jacob is referring … Read more
So big questions: Did God cause the famine? Why did he relocate Israel to Egypt knowing what would happen to the people there? What I know of God and the Bible narrative, he did not cause the drought and famine. It certainly isn’t beyond him, but he isn’t shy of openly declaring such a wide … Read more
In Genesis 3, we have the account of the Fall. You know, the day Eve listened to a snake and did the one thing she had be told not to, then convinced her husband to do the same. They got caught, everybody blamed somebody else, and the whole world was broken. Thanks Eve, you had … Read more
This passage contains one of the most problematic statements for people who feel like God causes bad things to happen. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, and they must have immediately assumed he would want revenge for what they had done to them. He reassures them that he holds them no ill will, that it … Read more
I almost don’t want to write about Joseph. He gets so much attention, and so many people have written and preached about him so much better than I ever could. Whether he was a brat as a kid or not, he was a faithful worker. He did his best with whatever he was given without … Read more
When I read this passage, at first I wondered why the story of Judah and Tamar was included. Yes, it’s one of the sons of Israel, and yes, there are interesting lessons involved, like his willingness to admit he was wrong once he was called out. I just didn’t understand why that was quite significant … Read more
I have just a couple of thoughts on the beginning of Joseph’s story. First, Joseph carried a bad report of his brothers to their father. Was Joseph just being a tattle tale, enjoying his status as favorite, putting the others down, the way kids can? Or was he legitimately reporting something he thought his father … Read more
I wrote a page about the rape of Dinah before realizing what I really wanted to write about concerning this passage. The rape of Dinah is a very interesting story from a critical perspective that, in my experience, most churches shy away from discussing. There’s considerable debate about the language used as well as the … Read more
This is the story of how Jacob worked for his uncle for twenty years and left with a couple wives, kids, and fairly large flocks of sheep and goats. Laban welcomed Jacob as a kinsman. Maybe he remembered the bride price he received for Rebekah and hoped for another. Maybe he was sincere. He agreed … Read more