Genesis 36.0-end

The End of Genesis!

36

As Esau moves away from his brother, it is explained “For their possessions were too great for them to live together, the land where they were staying could not support them.” Hmm, this sounds like a familiar mentality—infinite room for infinite generations, right? Yay for finding the roots of our great American tradition.

As I read, another episode of ‘begots’ pops us. My eyes skim over the names, and while it is not exactly painful to read yet another paragraph of who’s who’s, I am frustrated by the fact that I have no idea of who these people are. I guess I could wiki them, or really pay close attention to the footnotes, or have been brought up Jewish to really understand who these people are and the tribes they are representative of. It really is a genealogy of an entire culture.

37

This is all narrative. Pretty entertaining as well. Joseph is introduced as a favorite, a boy who dreams himself to be great. Kudos to the authors/editors who infer this information rather than laying it down as law. A hint of a best-seller? Aha, but the tendency for redundancy is found again…”and they said, so the spoke…” Is this repetition a sign of the times, of how people spoke when they spake aloud unto the masses? Or did the editors just have a really pretentious mindset?

38

Judah and Tamar

J story. Yes, as many have already noted, this story is in the middle of nowhere. But, it does show an interesting character of Judah. Yes, he sleeps with his dead son’s wife and gets her pregnant, then tries to burn her, but what else can we expect? What is notable is the fact that when she shows him that she is in the right and he in the wrong, he recognizes and even accepts this fact. I would say a large leap for mankind.

One more point—karma is abound in Genesis. At least our perception of karma, not necessarily a natural effect of an action, but as a revenge made by god for your wrong-doing. I wonder if somehow destiny, even in Christian thought, is an implied cause/effect relationship, of if God already had all this planned out.

39 Joseph in Egypt

As the wife of Joseph’s master (he was sold by his brothers into slavery) accuses him of raping her after he DENIES the call of her flesh, I am struck again with the manipulation so evident in the foundations of our culture. So much for the good ol’ days. No wonder lying, thieving and other bad tricks are so deeply ingrained in our worldview. We really had no choice.

40 Dreams of Prisoners

I like Joseph. Finally a good useful guy, who is smart but NOT an ass. Also, this scene in the prison is portrayed very vividly. Great character depictions, and very realistic. I see the two servants of the king, and their reactions in that smelly little cell. Another hint of good writing, and a selling point for helping me to believe this story. Another selling point is the ridiculousness of it. No one can make this stuff up. And if they did, they truly are the best authors in the world.

41 Pharaoh’s Dream

Joseph, rather, God through Joseph, interprets the king’s dream as 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. Joseph, himself then proceeds to offer advice. This advice is not how to avoid famine (God’s will, no karma after all), but how to prepare for it. Woah. A success story, as Joseph finally gets some credit as basically taking over the Pharaoh’s job, in everything but throne. Plotz interprets this as Joseph being a schemer, but I think he deserves it. He is strong, but not overbearing in his faith, and he uses his ability to the betterment of a people, with no hint of a desire for worldly riches. I still like Joseph.

42 Joseph’s Brother

So, famine time, and Joseph’s very own brothers come to visit. Jacob tells them to get some food, “that we may live and not die.” Joseph recognizes his brother, but not them him. Joseph tricks his brother, but the trick is not nasty, nor even really revenge for selling him into slavery. He is testing them, testing their virtue, in order to see if he can let them back into his life. This pains him, as he weeps for them, but yet perseveres over his emotions for the long term good. Hmmmm… I will have to think about the impact of this on our culture, if it is visible. I think it might be, I just have to stop being so skeptical.

43

As Jacob and his sons discuss their confusion at what, why they are being tested by Egypt, the language the editos uses makes me think there is an intended parallel here as to the lessons God teaches us humans, and our confusion or hatred toward a scheme we do not yet understand. In this story, Joseph is creating a test for his family, and they do not understand. Anyways, whether or not there is a god, it is an interesting parable, the confusion that ultimately (we hope) leads to a higher level of understanding, enlightenment, morality, ect.

44 Detaining of Benjamin

The lack of God’s immediate presence really is a change. Developing the human characters without direct influence reminds me of a parent (once again) leaving off his kids, letting them play by themselves for a bit. This lends for a more entertaining story. Or maybe, because this story in Genesis is not so rapish/incestish/depressingish that the editors and authors are enjoying themselves a bit more, and taking some creative liberties in their writing.

45 Reuniting with the Bros

“So it was not you who sent me here but God.” Like Esau, he has forgiven, but Joseph at least requires a test to see if his brethren really had changed. But Joseph’s insight is great. He is the first character in my memory in the bible to really transcend the squabbles of humanly existence in leu of the greater picture. Esau does this, but probably not through really understanding what he was doing. Joseph lives with an intent.

Also, good for the Pharaoh. Not a bad man, in fact, much more admirable than most of the other characters. He readily accepts help, but does not push it on another in a rude way.

Plotz mentions this pattern recognition theory. This is interesting, I would like to study that a bit more in depth. Coherency in the Incoherence of the bible? Intended or not, as Nothrop writes, it is the effect on the culture which matters. The bible is viewed as a whole unified text, and regardless of the truth, it should be read critically as a unified text in order to understand the impact it has.

46

Listing of all who came to Egypt with Jacob. So many stories in those names….

47 The Famine

Wow Joseph, Gett’re done! Plotz comments on this section are interesting again, a lot to chew on, but as of now I am not knowledgeable enough to interpret the effects of Joseph’s economic policies.

48

Thus far, we have seen Abel favored over Cain, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over his brothers, Joseph’s son over his other son. It is a continuing theme, and so are the revengeful actions of the un-favored brothers. My pattern-minded brain cannot dismiss the significance of this, and I am led to my first positive EPIPHANY in the reading of the bible. I am ecstatic over this. Let’s see, if a day later, it still has relevance.

So, Plotz views all this praising one over the other as bad foresight, of instigating bad actions by the other parties. I disagree. The theme of favoring is one God bestowed upon us, in his own image. We, reading the bible, are being told again and again that in our lives, we will sometimes be less favored than others. Some will be given everything in their lives, but this is NO EXCUSE to act with dishonor towards the favorite, or even with jealousy. In fact, we are repeatedly told that if ever we do this, our very well-being will be compromised in a crazy act of God. However, the bible is not telling us that those with no favor are inherently useless. Judah, a man who acted with intelligence, becomes one of the greatest tribes in Israel, although he is not immediately picked as a winner by God. This is a truly beautiful message, as it subtly shows the reader that favors can, in fact, be for no good reason (Cain and Abel…). The sad thing is, instead of recognizing this sad fact of life and accepting our own virtues as enough, we seek for a reason that Abel really was better than Cain. He was not. It was a test to see if men are strong enough to continue to act decently when not praised above all others. Some fail, some pass. Let’s pick up on this and start to pass. Be a stronger man.

49

Twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve sons of Jacob. Such an elaborate story depicting each tribe’s success or failure, in fact, a whole book of Genesis devoted to it. It makes one wonder, is this an explanation or an induction? Post facto argument or history?

50

Why embalm Jacob? Is this in the tradition? I don’t know.

The Brother’s Plea

“The brothers weep for fear. Joseph weeps because his brother still do not understand.” Well said Mr. Footnote Writer. Such is the burden of the aware, to suffer the ignorance in the face of true beauty.

ANNNNNNNNNNND DONE. Cool stuff. I shalt persevere, especially with this cliffhanger introducing the return to the Holy Land.