Obviously being January (the beginning of the year) I am in Genesis (as are some others of you attempting to do the same thing ... Donna!). Now, even last year when I was reading, I noticed these little obscure stories that you never saw on a flannel graph board growing up in Sunday School. Some of them are just plain funny ... like the story of Isaac and Rebekah.
In Genesis 26 Isaac pulls the same stunt his Dad (Abraham) did by declaring that his wife (Rebekah) is his sister (upon moving to a new land and not wanting to be killed so the men could have Rebekah ... ya following?) ... and he pulls it on the same guy that Abraham does in Genesis 20 (Abimelech ... which by the way sings really well as background chants to "in the jungle, the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight .. but surly I degress).
So what gives their relationship away? PDA! In Genesis 26:8, "But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah." [NLT]
Obviously this wasn't just a little make-out session ... it was enough to cause Abimelech to exclaim , "She is obviously your wife!" (v. 9).
Okay .. to me ... that's just funny. Maybe I'll turn that into a flannel graph story ... something on the dangers of PDA ... any other ideas?
On a serious note ... Genesis 29.
If you have read any of John Eldredge's stuff ("The Sacred Romance, Wild at Heart, Captivating, etc.) the story-line on this chapter will resonate. Jacob (Isaac's second board) is fleeing from Esau by heading north to his Uncle Laban's home. Upon arrival he falls in love with Rachel but is deceived on his honeymoon night (by his Uncle ... and now father-in-law ... who needs soaps? This stuff is much better) into sleeping with her older sister Leah (a little intoxication will lend to making the mistake ... after all, it was after an evening of celebration). Eventually he is given Rachel as his wife as well (Sisters? As wives? This guys is set-up for trouble).
Okay ... so the Lord sees that Leah is being unloved by Jacob (so the Bible says) and grants her a child (Reuben) ... while Rachel (the loved one) remains childless. Here is the line that will resonate ... in 29:32 " ... now my husband will love me." Has anything changes in thousands of years? How often do we still think that having a child will improve our marriages? Shw has another son ... Simeon ... and another ... Levi. After Levi's birth she laments these words,
Surely now my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!" Obviously Jacob's feelings for her hadn't improved after the birth of sons on and two.
Something changes (or perhaps Leah changes) after the birth of son #4 ... Judah. After Judah's birth Leah says this, "Now I will praise the Lord!" The end of that verse (29:35) states that after this proclamation Leah "stopped having children." (for now ... she'd kick things back up later in Genesis and have two more boys and a girl).
SO what changed? Perhaps ... just perhaps ... Leah ceased seeking the affection of a husband that would never fully love her as she deserved (or thought she deserved) ... and instead turned her affections (attention) towards the Lord ... the ONLY One who could completely love her. She ceased to have children because she no longer needed them to get the attention of a husband ... she found favor with her God ... and it evidently was enough to satisfy her.
I have to run to lunch (in fact ... I'm late) ... or I'd write more.
Discuss among yourselves :)
Until later ... grace and peace.
Good note Gregg. That's all I have to say.
ReplyDeleteDon't you also wonder, Greg, if God ever was kicking himself for sending that rainbow? I mean, after making that "forever" promise (ya know, to never flood the earth again), Nimrod shows up and becomes the founder of Babylon, builds the Tower of Babel, Lot moves on to Sodom and Gomorrah; the "men of God" nearly get attacked by the sinful men of Sodom, Lot offers his daughters in their place and in sweet repayment of being saved from total destruction, they get their dad drunk(two different times) and sleep with him to get pregnant? ...and all in only the first 19 chapters? Flannel graph that! :o
ReplyDeleteTomorrow I want to know your thoughts on why Billy Mays (orange-glo, oxyclean, mighty mendit) always yells everything at us.