Genesis 50

The beginning of the end of the beginning.

Here we go.

Joe throwing himself on the floor over his father seems like quite a melodramatic thing to do, but I feel his sentiment poignantly. He just got his daddy back a short time ago when he thought he never would, and now, there's no way he can ever get him back again. That really sucks. I can hardly imagine. 

I love the respect Joe gives his father in celebrating him in both a modern and old-fashioned way. He embalms his dad's body, in the manner of his Egyptian lifestyle, but buries him with his ancestors. It's perfect and lovely, and I think God wants us to do the same. 

He's not asking us to abandon technology, nor is he asking us to forget his promises. He wants us to blend our lives to be a mixture of tradition and new thinking, and to have one foot here, and one in Heaven. 

I think a lot of peoople are under the impression that God wants us to live in entirely spiritual sense. We hear so often the verse about "we are not of this world," and that is very much true. I prefer to look at it, however, as a message about inner strength; our strength won't fail, because it's not a human thing. God put us here for a reason, and I can't imagine that that reason is to spend every living moment longing for a different, eternal life. 

Goodness, Jake's funeral had an awesome turnout. Pharaoh sent his dignitaries, and all Joseph's brothers went with him. It would have been a beautiful thing to see. 

And then back to Egypt. 

Joe's bros at this point are thinking: "well, shoot. Joseph is so stressed with all this funeral stuff, and depressed about dad... What if now - finally - he has us killed for all that pain from so many years ago?" They're essentially walking on eggshells. So, to save their own hides, they send a letter, saying that Jacob's last will was that Joe forgive his brothers. 

And when Joe gets it... He cries. 

Wow. 

Why? 

Maybe he was crying because he knew they were lying again. Or was it because he didn't think it possible to forgive them? Perhaps they were tears of joy, simply because he was glad to have his brothers back in his life. The bible doesn't tell us. Feel free to comment with why you think he cried. I love the amiguity of it all. 

When he sees his brothers again, he loves them wholly. There's nothing left to forgive - he reassures them, and speaks only kindness upon them. 

Can you imagine? That is love. He had so much to forgive, but he forgave it all, and loved his brothers to the very end. 

Joseph lives to a ripe old age, and then is buried by his brothers, and embalmed by the Egyptians - not in that over. And it's all beautiful, in a melancholy way. 

I'm taking a couple days off from writing, because I have to decide what to read next, and I have to write for  a personal project I'm doing with some friends called The Ruth Project. We're learning how to be better women of God. 

Thank you so much for reading my thoughts on Genesis. It's been a joy! 

Genesis 48-49

Genesis 48

Last night, I wrote about this chapter and it was super touching and awesome. And I saved it, I really did. I think. Anyway, to prevent myself from becoming boring, I'm just going to tell you that Jacob does a really unusual thing, and gives his younger grandson blessing over the older. It's super touching for them, seeing as Jacob is ill. 

I'm not about to rewrite my whole entry, I'm sorry. SO ONTO

Genesis 49

These blessings are so odd. They really feel more like prophecies to me. I can't exactly figure whether Jacob is prophesying for his sons, or if he's wishing these things upon him. 

Reuben, Simeon, and Levi don't get the greatest blessings. If I was any of their brothers, I would be afraid to hear mine. I can imagine the whispers among siblings: "alright, who decided to piss off dad on blessing day?" 

However, Judah's life looks much less formidable. His dad tells him that his brothers will bow to him, and he'll have enough wine to wash his clothes in. This is glorious. I love Judah, and his excellent character reminds me that God does give us rewards for the character we display in this lifetime. So often, we hear that we're storing up treasure in Heaven, and this is true. This concept, though, is so often discouraging to me, because I don't want to wait that long. God gets that. Thus, every moment of joy comes from He who loves us. 

Jake says Zebulun will live on the seashore. I imagine him on the port of Maine, but I genuinely have no idea why. (Maybe because I'm obsessed with Maine.) 

In the bible, turbulent waters are also used as a metaphor for life's problems. If we extend the metaphor to Zebulun being a safe haven for ships, that suggests that he guides others to the light of Jesus, much in the way a lighthouse would. 

Unfortunately, Issachar's life sounds full of manual labor. Which sucks. 

Dan's blessing confuses me a wee bit. Will he provide justice, or be "a viper along the path?" I can't figure how he's both, but obviously I don't know everything. 

Gad will be attacked but won't fall, and Asher may as well be called Rachel Ray. (Genesis 49:20)

Naphtali's blessing is my favorite, because it's so beyond beautiful. Read it; it's only one line. 

I would tell you how gorgeous of lives Joseph and Ben were blessed with, but we see God there nonstop. And I have an NHS meeting at 7:45 in the morning and it's 11:00. 

In the last few verses, Jacob is reunited with his wife, Leah, his parents, and his great-grandparents. "When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people." (Genesis 49:33 NIV)

And what a gorgeous life he lived with God.