Today has been rough! And not just cause the kids have been home All day!! My heart is so heavy with a burden for a friend and I'm praying for guidance in this situation! So this may have colored my view of what I read today! Gen. 17-28 but I read 17 yesterday and had to keep going to 30 today. Ok, here are my thoughts. God shows up in person to Abe (18:1) and makes more promises, and when he's leaving~ to go destroy Sodom n Gomorrah~Abe says, Hey God, you can't do that! and starts bargaining from 50 down to 10 (wonder how low God would have gone if Abe asked) proving that He is a Merciful judge and that our requests are taken earnestly by the Lord. 19:1 two Angels show up there... who/where is the third man? tee hee Anyway, Lot seems all gracious and welcoming but then turns around and offers his Daughters to the crazy men outside. Nice. The angel protect them all and tell them Run for the Hills! Lot drags his feet??!! Then whines that they might have trouble in the mountains???!! And wife looks back? What were these people Thinking? Have to remember that they were Very wealthy and were having to leave all that wealth behind. Figures that the woman was the one to look back at all the nice things she was leaving. Next the daughters, even though God saved them from DEATH, He obviously couldn't be trusted to find them Husbands! Wow... blow up a couple cities but can't provide a man?
Now its back to Abe. Once again he pulls the "she's my Sister" scam and ends up wealthy Again. And protected by the king. I loved how this version phrased Sarah's words when Isaac was born..."God has blessed me with laughter" It just feels good to Say that! But she sure wasn't laughing about ole Hagar and Ish. She gets ugly and gives them the boot. But God is so good! He didn't forget about Hagar (she calls Him ~God Provides) and Ish. and he ends up with 12 tribes too. I don't think I knew that before! Cool huh?
Now on to Isaac and his family. Rebekkah and Jacob turn into big fat Liars! But its funny that all their trickery and Jake ends up getting tricked into marrying the wrong girl! Then he gets tricked into having to work 7 years to get the right wife. Then when he's leaving, Laban pulls the trick with the sheep and so Jake has to wait around for the animals to have enough young with spots. Bet it chapped his hide that he got tricked twice by the same guy...after tricking ole dad! In the mean time his wives go wild with having babies. Even pushing their maids on Jake to make More babies. It was a big competition to prove who was the best wife! I'm sure it wasn't a very pleasant atmosphere! But they both cry to God about it and He gives them more babies!
So, it seems to me, these people were a bunch of nuts! And God just kept on blessing them and blessing them and promising them a wonderful legacy! It was Obviously not because of all the good behavior, Godly works, righteousness, or honesty. Its sure a good thing that God is patient, even after promise after promise, the people go off and do things Their way, He fixes it and promises again. Looking back at their lives, its easy for Us to see their silliness but we sure don't see it when We are the ones being silly! What love and mercy and patience He has for His foolish children. I'm amazed!!
LOL! Yep, definitely a bunch of nuts...hey, we could have lived back then too then! lolol Oh, I noticed something interesting, that made me think a bit about Lot and his family dragging their feet. Gen 19:12 "And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters...' vs 14 'And Lot went out, and spake to his sons in law, which married his daughters and said, Up, get you out of this place... But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.' So, is it that he had two unmarried daughters at home, and some unknown other daughters already married, and they stayed behind and died in Sodom? I could see the dragging feet more if that were the case I guess. Since the two daughters at the house 'didn't know man' vs 8, I am supposing that these two weren't married, and are the ones that went with Lot. Interesting who their incest brought offspring were, the Moabites and the Ammonites. Anyway, was just wondering what your thoughts were on that, and if the Message touched on that at all! Great post sis!
ReplyDeleteThey truly are all nutcases, aren't they? Wow. Glad we're not that crazy. =D
ReplyDeleteGod is Good.
:D Oh yeah we not crazy! hehehe Yeah I forgot, I was gonna say about the "Ites" being the incest kids... No really I was! its in my notes!!! I gotta research now about the daughters cause in the message vers. there were 2 daughters and they were Engaged to those two guys who mocked Lot. Dagnabbit, now I gotta break out the key word study bible and all..hehehe giggles to self...oh Hush self... oops did I say that out loud? No WE not nuts!
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