Saturday, January 31, 2015

Taming the Green-Eyed Monster of Jealousy. Genesis 37:12-22

May the mumbling commence!

My mother calls it “the green-eyed monster”.  Jealousy can make us do some monstrous things.  Just look at what Joseph’s half-brothers did to him.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            His brothers had gone off to Shechem where they were pasturing their father’s flocks.  Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers are with the flocks in Shechem.  Come, I want to send you to them.”
            Joseph said, “I’m ready.”
            He said, “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing and bring me back a report.”  He sent him off from the valley of Hebron to Shechem.
            A man met him as he was wandering through the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
            “I’m trying to find my brothersDo you have any idea where they are grazing their flocks?”
            The man said, “They’ve left here, but I overheard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”  So Joseph took off, tracked his brothers down, and found them in Dothan.
            They spotted him off in the distance.  By the time he got to them they had cooked up a plot to kill him.  The brothers were saying, Here comes that dreamer.  Let’s kill him and throw him into one of these old cisterns; we can say that a vicious animal ate him up.  We’ll see what his dreams amount to.”
            Reuben heard the brothers talking and intervened to save him, “We’re not going to kill him.  No murder.  Go ahead and throw him in this cistern out here in the wild, but don’t hurt him.”  Reuben planned to go back later and get him out and take him back to his father.  (Genesis 37:12-22)  
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them."
"Very well," he replied. 
So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?" 
He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?" 
"They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'"
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.  But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 
"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other.  "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams." 
When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said.  "Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.  (Genesis 37:12-22)

From the passage we read yesterday, we know that Joseph was apt to tell stories on his brothers and get them in trouble with their father.  When Israel (And it does say Israel rather than Jacob here!) sent Joseph to check in on his brothers, Joseph was champing at the bit to go (“very well” in the NIV and “I’m ready” in Peterson’s work).  I have no problem with either the NIV or Peterson’s work in this case.

However, there seems to be quite a difference between Joseph “tracking his brothers down” (Peterson) and “going after his brothers” (NIV).  Peterson seems to assume a willful intent to disparage his brothers.  Indeed, perhaps that was the case… but I think Peterson is being unduly harsh.

Then the green-eyed monster of jealousy rears its ugly head in a plot to murder a brother.  Do you hear the echo of the conflict between Cain and Abel here?  I can.  “Let’s see what comes of his dreams… what they’ll amount to.”

But Reuben kept his head.  He was the firstborn of Jacob.  He was the oldest, so Reuben took it on himself to save his brother from certain death.  Perhaps Reuben learned a valuable lesson the hard way when he disappointed his father by sleeping with his father’s concubine.  Reuben no longer wanted to disappoint his father.  

May we be as good at learning from our mistakes!

Enough mumbling for now…


Peace Out

Friday, January 30, 2015

Joseph, The Dreamer. Genesis 37:1-11

May the mumbling commence!

Chase your dreams… just not at the expense of your relationships.  That’s the lesson that Joseph needed to learn.  It would be good for us to learn it, too.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Meanwhile Jacob had settled down where his father had lived, the land of Canaan.
                This is the story of Jacob.  The story continues with Joseph, seventeen years old at the time, helping out his brothers in herding the flocks.  These were his half-brothers actually, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah.  And Joseph brought his father bad reports on them.
                Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age.  And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat.  When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him – they wouldn’t even speak to him.
                Joseph had a dream.  When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.  He said, “Listen to this dream I had.  We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat.  All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine.”
                His brothers said, “So!  You’re going to rule us?  You’re going to boss us around?”  And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams and the way he talked.
                He had another dream and told this one also to his brothers: “I dreamed another dream – the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me!”
                When he told it to his father and brothers, his father reprimanded him: “What’s with all this dreaming?  Am I and your mother and your brothers all supposed to bow down to you?”  Now his brothers were really jealous; but his father brooded over the whole business.  (Genesis 37:1-11)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 
This is the account of Jacob.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.  When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.  He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had:  We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." 
His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 
Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 
When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?"  His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.  (Genesis 37:1-11)

Again I come back to the difference between settling down (Peterson) and living (NIV).  Jacob / Israel was nomadic in nature.  To think of a nomad settling down is laughable.  I like the NIV translation better.

Another difference that I would like to highlight is the last phrase.  There’s a world of difference between Jacob keeping the matter in mind (NIV) and Jacob brooding over it (Peterson).  I don’t like the negative connotations of Peterson’s work.  I think it was a simpler reflective thinking.

I find it fascinating that the name Israel is used when the story tells of Jacob loving Joseph more than his other sons.  I also find it interesting the reason given for this love.  Joseph was a son born to him in his old age.  It was not that Joseph was the biological son of his favorite wife, Rachel.  It’s a revealing snub of Rachel.

Enough mumbling for now…


Peace Out          

Thursday, January 29, 2015

King of the Edomite Hill. Genesis 36:20-43

May the mumbling commence!

And, now, it’s time for The Seir Name Game.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

                This is the family of Seir the Horite, who were native to that land:  Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.  These are the chieftains of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.
                The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan’s sister was Timna.
                The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
                The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah – this is the same Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while herding his father Zibeon’s donkeys.
                The children of Anah were Dishon and his daughter Oholibamah.
                The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
                The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
                The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
                And these were the Horite chieftains: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan – the Horite chieftains by clan in the land of Seir.
                And these are the kings who ruled in Edom before there was a king in Israel: Bela son of Beor was the king of Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.  When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became the next king.  When Jobab died, he was followed by Hushan from the land of the Temanites.  When Hushan died, he was followed by Hadad son of Bedad; he was the king who defeated the Midianites in Moab; the name of his city was Avith.  When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah became the next king.  When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River became king.  When Shaul died, he was followed by Baal-Hanan son of Acbor.  When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad became king; the name of his city was Pau; his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.
                And these are the chieftains from the line of Esau, clan by clan, region by region: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram – the chieftains of Edom as they occupied their various regions.
                This accounts for the family tree of Esau, ancestor of all Edomites.  (Genesis 36:20-43)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs. 
The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan's sister. 
The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 
The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. 
The children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 
The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran. 
The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. 
The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 
These were the Horite chiefs: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir. 
These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned: Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah. 
When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.  When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.  When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.  When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.  When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.  When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor succeeded him as king.  When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab. 
These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.
This was Esau the father of the Edomites.  (Genesis 36:20-43)

There is little to the differences.  There is much to wonder about… like the finding of the hot springs… and the inclusion of the women… and if the Timna noted in this Seir Name Game is the same Timna who was Eliphaz’s concubine.

Regardless, the importance of kingship and chieftains is evident in this genealogy.  And the kings did not follow from father to son.  I wonder if violence played a part in the deaths of the various Edomite kings.


Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

What is Chief in this Life? Genesis 36:9-19

May the mumbling commence!

It’s The Name Game – Esau style.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            So this is the family tree of Esau, ancestor of the people of Edom, in the hill country of Seir.  The names of Esau’s sons:
                Eliphaz, son of Esau’s wife Adah;
                Reuel, son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
                The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.  (Eliphaz also had a concubine Timna, who had Amalek.)  These were the grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.
                And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah – grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
                These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah the son of Zibeon.  She gave Esau sons Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

                These are the chieftains in Esau’s family tree.  From the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn, came the chieftains Teman, Omar, Zepho,  Kenaz, Korah, Gatam, and Amalek – the chieftains of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; all of them sons of Adah.
                From the sons of Esau’s son Reuel came the chieftains Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.  These are the chieftains of Reuel in the land of Edom; all these were sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.  
                These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: the chieftains Jeush, Jalam, and Korah – chieftains born of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah.
                These are the sons of Esau, that is, Edom, and these are their chieftains.  (Genesis 36:9-19)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

This is the account of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. 
These are the names of Esau's sons:
Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath. 
The sons of Eliphaz:
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz. 
Esau's son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. These were grandsons of Esau's wife Adah. 
The sons of Reuel:
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath. 
The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:
Jeush, Jalam and Korah. 
These were the chiefs among Esau's descendants:
The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:
Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah. 
The sons of Esau's son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath. 
The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 
These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs.  (Genesis 36:9-19)

Repetition – it happens in the Hebrew Scriptures.  The sons and grandsons of Esau had to be listed not once but twice – once as descendants and once as chiefs or chieftains.  I find that interesting.  It’s important to know that all of Esau’s descendants were chiefs.

There is also an addition of a grandson of Adah – Korah.  Korah is not included in the list of her grandchildren.  Korah is included in the grandsons of Oholibamah… but that happens in the chieftains list as well.  There are two Korah’s in the chieftains.

I also note that there is a switch in the order of the names from the descendants list and the chieftains list of Adah’s grandsons.  Kenaz and the mysterious Korah leapfrogged Gatam in the order.  I wonder what story is hidden there!

Tomorrow, we will look at the context of Esau’s life in Seir.  It will be The Seir Name Game!


Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Wealth Can Tear Us Apart. Genesis 36:1-8

May the mumbling commence!

Oh, boy!  It’s what we’ve all been waiting for – the Name Game, the Edomite Name Game.  

Because, after the coming together at Isaac’s death, separation happened over too much wealth.  Wealth separates, plain and simple.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            This is the family tree of Esau, who is called Edom.
            Esau married women of Canaan: Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
            Adah gave Esau Eliphaz;
            Basemath had Reuel;
            Oholibamah had Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
            These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
            Esau gathered up his wives, sons and daughters, and everybody in his household, along with all his livestock – all the animals and possessions he had gotten in Canaan – and moved a considerable distance away from his brother Jacob.  The brothers had too many possessions to live together in the same place; the land couldn’t support their combined herds of livestock.  So Esau ended up settling in the hill country of Seir (Esau and Edom are the same).  (Genesis 36:1-8)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). 
Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite – also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. 
Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan. 
Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.  Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock.  So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.  (Genesis 36:1-8)

Esau is Edom.  That’s clear.  The statement bookends this passage.  Peterson misses this by not translating them parallel.  This clear statement is needed to explain the origin of the Edomites.

And there it is again – a hidden gem among the genealogies.  Wealth separates.  It separated Lot and Abram.  It separated Esau and Jacob.

Let’s be careful not to cling to our possessions.  Let’s be careful not to hurt others on our quest for possessions.  People are more important than possessions.  Our relationship to God is more important than possessions.

Help us to learn this lesson, O Holy Spirit!

Enough mumbling for now…


Peace Out

Grief Can Bring Us Together. Genesis 35:16-29

May the mumbling commence!

How well do we deal with grief when it enters our lives?  Because, sooner or later, grief will enter – ready or not.  It was true for Jacob; it’s true for us as well.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            They left Bethel.  They were still quite a ways from Ephrath when Rachel went into labor – hard, hard labor.  When her labor pains were at their worst, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid – you have another boy.”
                With her last breath, for she was now dying, she named him Ben-oni (Son-of-My-Pain), but his father named him Ben-jamin (Son-of-Good-Fortune).
                Rachel died and was buried on the road to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem.  Jacob set up a pillar to mark her grave.  It is still there today, “Rachel’s Grave Stone.”
                Israel kept on his way and set up camp at Migdal Eder.  While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went and slept with his father’s concubine, Bilhah.  And Israel heard of what he did.
There were twelve sons of Jacob.
The sons by Leah:
                Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun.
The sons by Rachel:
                Joseph, Benjamin.
The sons by Bilhah, Rachel’s maid:
                Dan, Naphtali.
The sons by Zilpah, Leah’s maid:
                Gad, Asher.
These were Jacob’s sons, born to him in Paddan Aram.
                Finally, Jacob made it back home to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath Arba, present-day Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived.  Isaac was now 180 years old.  Isaac breathed his last and died – an old man full of years.  He was buried with his family by his sons Esau and Jacob.  (Genesis 35:16-29)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty.  And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for you have another son."  As she breathed her last – for she was dying – she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. 
So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).  Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb. 
Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.  While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.
Jacob had twelve sons: 
The sons of Leah:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. 
The sons of Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin. 
The sons of Rachel's maidservant Bilhah:
Dan and Naphtali. 
The sons of Leah's maidservant Zilpah:
Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram. 
Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.  Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.  Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.  (Genesis 35:16-29)

Son of pain… that says it all.  But Jacob names him son of good fortune instead.  As Jacob moves on from the death of his beloved, he is finally referred to as Israel.  It’s the first time that happens other than God telling Jacob his name will be Israel.

Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel, did not get “gathered to her people”.  She was buried alone in a roadside grave.  She did not join Sarah and Abraham and Isaac and Rebekah.  Rachel was not God’s wife of the covenant promise.  Jacob… Israel was beginning to realize that.  

Sadness brought Israel closer to God and Esau and Jacob closer together.

In our sadness, let’s find ways to bond with God and with our brothers and sisters.


Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out