Genesis Questions
I am nearing the end of the excellent book, "How to Read Genesis" by Tremper Longman III.That's a really cool name, by the way.
While a fascinating and informative read, the book highlights far more questions than it answers. Just in the short section on the story of Jacob the author asks:
Why does Rebekah manipulate events so that Jacob receives the blessing?
Was Isaac truly deceived by the goat hair? Was he senile? Was he simply avoiding conflict with Esau?
How did Jacob's method of making the flock speckled and spotted actually work?
Why did Rachel get away with stealing Laban's household gods?
Who is the man who wrestled with Jacob? Why does he want to be released before dawn arrives? Why won't Jacob let him go until he is blessed? How could Jacob fight God (or an angel for that matter) to a standstill?
Why did Esau soften toward Jacob? Did Jacob actually go to Edom as he promised Esau he would?
Each of us who reads this account can add his or her questions as well. Some answers may be reasoned or argued. Others can be guessed. But few, if any, can be known for sure.
Of course it's not vital that we know these answers. Genesis tells us what we need to know. Chiefly it tells us that God IS, that God created, that God loves, and that God continues to be at work in the redemption of His people.
I still want to know the answers.
I love word puzzles, especially these weird things called cryptic crosswords. I do my very best to solve each one completely, but there are occasionally clues that I simply can't crack. Reluctantly, I head to the answer section and feel this enormous wave of relief/pleasure when I see the word for which I've been searching. I want to sit down with God/Christ/Spirit someday and just go through the book with Him. I want to take my time, ask my questions, and have the Author spell it all out. I expect to smack my forehead at times and at other times to simply look up into His bemused eyes and say, "Yeah, I never would have gotten that."
I'm really looking forward to it.
posted by Thurman8er @ 9:06 AM
5 Comments:
We'll have eternity to explore all these mysteries!!
Hey, you should have called me. My list of questions about Jacob is about twice as long!
I have spent a lot of Bible reading time so far this year in the OT because that's the way the printed schedule is set up that I'm following. I have TONS of questions not only in Genesis but all the way through, especially when you get into the judges and kings. Remember that story about the guy traveling with his concubine and, to protect him from the men of the city, he and the owner of the house put her outside all night? The way I'm remembering the story, the next morning he just stepped over her at the threshold. The story to goes on to tell how he cut her up in pieces and sent them throughout the country????????????
My list of questions is massive. I'll be among the crowd listening to questions I've never thought of...just like Steve's list. But the one person I really want to have a long conversation with is the Apostle Paul!!
As for Meowmix's comment, THAT would be an intriguing insight to learn the answer to the question, "WHAT was THAT all about?"
For me, I think my questions would be more like, "What did it feel like when..." or, "Did it really happen that..." I would love to ask Jesus when did he fully understand that he was the Messiah - the Son of God.
Brady delivered an excellent class on Jacob (ask for his notes).
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