NUMBERS: Chapter 20

Chapter 20
Summary:	The people of Israel traveled into the desert of Zin in the first month* and camped in Kadesh. Moses' sister Miriam died there and was buried in Kadesh. There was no water for the people in the desert and they began to complain to Moses and Aaron. The people spoke up against Moses and begged the question if they too should have been killed in Korah's rebellion. The people accused Moses of having brought them and their cattle out in the wilderness to die here. The people asked why they were made to leave Egypt, to be brought out to such an "evil place" where there is no crops, figs, vineyards, pomegranites, or most importantly, any water. Moses and Aaron left the congregation and went to the door of the tabernacle where they "fell upon their faces" and the glory of God appeared to them. God spoke to Moses, telling him to take the "magic rod" from the tabernacle and gather the people of Israel together. He explains that Moses and Aaron are to speak to the rock before the people of Israel, and water shall flow from the rock for the people and their cattle to drink. Moses took the rod from the tabernacle as God had commanded, and then Moses and Aaron gathered the people around the rock. Moses then cried out, "Hear now, ye rebels! Must we fetch you water out of this rock?" Moses lifted his hand and with the rod he struck the rock twice, and water came out in abundance for the people and cattle to drink. God then speaks to Moses and Aaron and tells them because they didn't believe him, to sanctify himself in the eyes of the people of Israel, they will therefore not bring this congregation into the "promised land". The problem being is that Moses didn't speak to the rock like God had commanded him, but instead struck the rock with the rod, as he had done before in Exodus 17:6. The area was named Meribah (meaning "rebel waters"), because the people of Israel rebelled against God, and he was "sanctified" in them. Moses then sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom explaining to the king their relation and their plight. (The people of Edom were descended from Esau, who was the elder brother of Jacob - later renamed Israel in Genesis: Chapter 32.) The messengers recounted the plight of the Israelites to the king, that they had lived many years in the land of Egypt and became enslaved there. The messengers explained further that when they cried out to God, God had heard them and sent an angel, bringing them out of Egypt and eventually to where they stood in Kadesh, camped on the border of the city of Edom. The messengers asked the king for permission to pass through the city of Edom, stating that the Israelites will not pass through their fields or vineyards, nor will they drink any water from their wells; the people will remain on the highway and not veer from the path until they've crossed through the border on the other side of the city. The king of Edom however refused to let the people of Israeli into the city, warning them that if they attempt to enter the city they will be attacked by the king's army. The people of Israel again pleaded with the king, restating that they will stay on the highway, and that if their cattle happens to drink any of their water, that the kingdom of Edom will be paid for it. They restated that their intention were only to pass through the city and nothing else. The king of Edom again refused their request and mobilized his army, causing the people of Israel to turn away. The people of Israel journeyed from Kadesh to Mount Hor instead. God spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, and stated that Aaron be gathered unto the people, for he is not to enter the "promised land" due to his "rebellion" against God due to the incident at the rock. God tells Moses to bring Aaron and his son Eleazar up into Mount Hor and strip Aaron of his priest garments, and put them upon Eleazar. Aaron is to be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. Moses did as God commanded and they went up into Mount Hor in view of all of the people of Israel. Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them upon Eleazar, and Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, and when the people saw that Aaron was dead, the entire population of Israel mourned for Aaron for thirty days.
Notes:	1.) Approximately in April by our modern calendar.
Thoughts:	The people of Israel travel through the desert of Zin in the first month of the Hebrew calendar (mid April) and camp in the land of Kadesh. (While it's not entirely clear how many years have passed since leaving Egypt, it has been at least three years at this point.) At Kadesh, Miriam dies and is buried there - the book of Numbers offers no further details about her death. In the desert of Kadesh the people of Israel again found themselves without water and complain to Moses and Aaron. They begin accusing Moses (again) of having brought them all out here in the desert to die, and question as to why they have been brought out to such an "evil" place where there are no crops, and more importantly, any water. Moses and Aaron leave the people and head to the tabernacle to speak with God. God tells Moses to go fetch Aaron's "magic rod" from inside the sanctuary and to gather the people around a large rock in the area. He tells Moses the he and Aaron are to speak to the rock to make water flow from it for the people. However, when Moses gathers the people around he strikes the rock with the "magic rod" (like he did in Exodus: Chapter 17). God sees this action as a direct defiance of his orders, and tells Moses and Aaron that they now are not allowed to enter the "promised land" because they didn't perform God's magic trick in the exact method God laid out. There's numerous problems with God's judgment here, the first and foremost being Moses' intentions. However, I'm guessing that the apologist standpoint would be that God's omniscience basically makes him a mind reader, but we could argue against this in light of God resorting to other methods in other stories throughout the bible, where this "mind reading" ability could have been a simpler method of getting his answers. Secondly, it also seems that God may have been proposing a trick test here, by having Moses do something that he has already done before (bringing forth water from a rock - which again he did in Exodus: Chapter 17) but having him use a different method. Having Moses retrieve the "magic rod" from the tabernacle would appear to be a "red herring", considering that the rod doesn't seem to have any necessary use if Moses were to simply "speak to the rock" to get it to produce water. Adding to this, it's reasonable to assume that Moses was probably enduring a great deal of stress at the prospect of another rebellion, since he was stressed out over the previous rebellions. Under these circumstances, it's easy to see how Moses could have "disobeyed" God's command purely by accident Third off, Aaron has arguably made far worse mistakes (creating an idol of a golden calf violating one of the ten commandments, and conspiring with sister Miriam against Moses over his Ethiopian wife) and hasn't been punished. In light of this, it seems rash and extreme of God to make such a rash punishment for an act that certainly has some reason to believe it could have been an honest mistake. Anyways, the land was named Meribah (meaning "rebel waters") due to this conflict. Moses then sends some messengers along to the neighboring kingdom of Edom, who's inhabitants are related to the people of Israel by means of being descendants of Jacob/Israel's elder brother Esau. The messengers ask permission to pass through the kingdom and vow not to touch any of the land's fields, vineyards, or wells, and promising to stay solely on the main highway until they pass. The king however denies them, and after the people of Israel beg him again, he sends down his army to chase them away from the border. This leaves the people of Israel to retreat to Mount Hor instead. God speaks to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, and decides that Aaron will have to die for his earlier "sin" at the rock, and that his son Eleazar is to replace him as the head priest. Again, I have numerous problems with God's judgment upon Aaron. First being, what is it exactly that Aaron is being killed for? Perhaps because Aaron simply did nothing when his brother Moses struck the rock? Also, again, Aaron has done far worse (the "golden calf" incident, and conspiring with Miriam against Moses) and walked away unpunished. In the case of his conspiracy with Miriam, God even specifically states that Aaron "got a pass" primarily because of his service in the priesthood, while his sister was stricken with leprosy for doing the same thing. Perhaps God sees this as a "three strike law" and felt that Aaron's passive inactivity towards Moses' action was the final straw combined with his past "sins"? God commands Moses to take both Aaron and Eleazar up to Mount Hor, strip Aaron of his priest costume and place it upon Eleazar, after which Aaron is to die. (This also seems to contradict the ceremonies for consecration as laid out in Leviticus: Chapter 8.) Moses does as he's told, Aaron dies, and when Moses and Eleazar return down the mountain without Aaron, the people go into mourning for the next thirty days.

GENESIS: Chapter 36

Chapter 36
Summary:	This chapter consists of another series of lists, and also introduces that Esau also goes by the name Edom. It begins with the list of Esau's wives, and his descendants: Adah (daughter of Elon the Hethite): Eliphaz Teman Omar Zepho Gatam Kenaz Amalek (born to Timna, Eliphaz' concubine) Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite): Jeush Jalam Korah Basemath (Esau's cousin, daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nebaioth): Reuel Nahath Zerah Shammah Mizzah The chapter then gives the names of tribes descended from Seir, the Horite - one of the native families of Mount Seir where Esau later moved to: Lotan: Hori Heman Shobal: Alvan Manahath Ebal Shepho Onam Zibeon: Aiah Anah Anah: Dishon Oholibamah Dishon: Hemdan Eshban Ithran Cheran Ezer: Bilhan Zaavan Akan Dishan: Uz Aran The chapter then follows with a list of the kings of Edom in order of succession: King Bela (son of Beor) from Dinhabah in Edom King Jobab (son of Zerah), from Bozrah King Husham, from the land of Temanites King Hadad (son of Bedad), from Avith King Samlah from Masrekah King Shaul from Rehoboth-by-the-River King Baal-hanan (son of Achbor) King Hadad, from the city of Pau Finally, our last list is of the sub-tribes of Esau/Edom: Timna Alvah Jetheth Oholibamah Elah Pinon Kenaz Teman Mibzar Magdiel Iram
Thoughts:	Another very poorly laid out list of lists, that repeats certain portions more than detailed in the summary above, and contains various people sharing the same name from different generations. Again, most of these names are irrelevant and won't be heard from again. Mostly this chapter can simply be skipped and used as a reference point in later chapters if needed.

GENESIS: Chapters 34 & 35

Chapter 34
Summary:	Leah's daughter* Dinah went out to visit some of the neighborhood girls. When Shechem, son of King Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah he decides to rape her. He fell deeply in love with her afterward and tried to win her affection. Shechem then pleaded with his father King Hamor to help him acquire Dinah's hand in marriage*. Word soon reached Jacob*, but since his sons were out in the fields working, he did nothing until their return. Meanwhile King Hamor went to speak with Jacob, arriving just as Jacob's sons returned from the fields. Hamor told Jacob that Shechem was in love with Dinah and asked for Jacob's permission for them to marry. He continued on to invite Jacob's family to live amongst them and intermarry their sons and daughters between them. Shechem then addressed Jacob and his sons, begging them to let him marry Dinah, offering to pay whatever dowry they requested. The brothers then lied to Hamor and Shechem telling them that due to family customs - that Shechem was not circumcised - they could not allow their sister to marry Shechem, however if King Hamor would get every male in his kingdom circumcised, that they would happily intermarry and become one people. King Hamor and his son Shechem wasted no time in convincing the men of the kingdom to undergo circumcision, and soon after had the entire male population circumcised. However, three days later when the men's wounds were sore and sensitive to every move they made, Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi entered the city and slaughtered every man there, including Hamor and Shechem. They rescued Dinah from Shechem's house and later all of Jacob's sons returned to the city to plunder it in retaliation for their sister's dishonor. They confiscated everything and took the women and children as their slaves. Jacob then scolded Levi and Simeon denouncing their actions and exclaiming that they themselves were too few to fight off the Canaanites and Perizzites seeking revenge. Levi and Simeon questioned their father's scolding by claiming that Dinah was treated as a prostitute.
Notes:	1.) Interesting to note that Dinah is mentioned as lineage from Leah, instead of Jacob (Israel). 2.) Unlike Jacob and Leah's technical non-consensual sex that married them, Shechem's raping Dinah did not consummate a marriage for some reason. 3.) Still yet to be referred to as Israel since being renamed in Chapter 32.
Thoughts:	What constitutes marriage in biblical times can be difficult to follow. Jacob had non-consensual sex with Leah (he thought he was sleeping with Rachel) and was then considered married back in Chapter 29. Perhaps because Jacob's dowry was paid in full (by working for his Uncle Laban for seven years) a rape is not considered to have happened, and probably even more so that women raping men probably "didn't count" as rape either - such as Lot's daughters and their misadventures with their father in Chapter 19. However, we see that - at least according to Jacob's sons - raping a girl entitles the victim's family to slaughter an entire city, plunder the wealth, and to enslave the surviving women and children. God doles out no punishment to Simeon or Levi, nor towards Jacob (who has still yet to be called by his new name of Israel), even though Jacob seems a bit angry with his sons for endangering them to the rest of the Canaanite and Perizzite people.
Chapter 35
Summary:	God tells Jacob to move on and settle in Bethel, and to also build an altar to worship "the God that appeared to (him)" when he fled from Esau. Jacob instructed all those in his household to destroy their idols that they had brought with them, and to wash themselves and put on fresh clothes. They gave all of their idols and earrings to Jacob, who buried them beneath an oak tree near Shechem. As they started off again, the terror of God was upon all the cities they journeyed through, and they were not attacked. Finally they arrived in Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. Jacob erected an altar and named it "The altar to the God of Bethel". Soon after, Rebekah's old nurse Deborah died and was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel, which has been since called "The Oak of Weeping". Upon Jacob's arrival at Bethel, God appeared to him once again and blessed him. He tells Jacob that he will no longer be called Jacob* (meaning "Grabber") but Israel (meaning "One who prevails from God"). God repeats his vows to Jacob to make him a great nation with many descendants, with many kings amongst those descendants. He continues on to tell Jacob/Israel that he will pass on the land to him that he had given to Abraham and Isaac as well. Jacob builds a stone pillar at the place where God appeared to him, pours wine over it as an offering to God, and then anoints it with olive oil. Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his household traveled on toward Ephrath (later Bethlehem), but Rachel's pains of childbirth began before they got there. After a difficult delivery she delivered a son, and with her dying breath named him "Ben-oni" (meaning "Son of my sorrow"); but his father called him "Benjamin" (meaning "Son of my right hand"). Rachel was then buried near the road to Ephrath, and Jacob set up a monument of stones upon her grave. Israel/Jacob journeyed on and camped beyond the Tower of Eder. While he was there, his son Reuben slept with Bilhah (Rachel's slave, and his father's concubine), and someone later told Israel about it. For good measure and a recap, the chapter lists the twelve sons of Israel: Sons of Leah: Reuben Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun Sons of Rachel: Joseph Bejamin Sons of Bilhah (Rachel's slave): Dan Naphtali Sons of Zilpah (Leah's slave): Gad Asher Jacob/Israel came at last to Isaac, his father, at Mamre in Kiriath-arba (later called Hebron), where Abraham had also once lived. Isaac died soon afterwards at the ripe old age of 180*, and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Notes:	1.) It is unclear as to why this has to be repeated again, as it is certainly clear that Jacob recognized the Man from Chapter 32 as God, as he names the place where they wrestle "Peniel" (meaning "The Face of God"). 2.) This is not a typo. The bible lists Isaac's actual age at death as 180 years old.
Thoughts:	Another chapter that seems to be a bit disorganized and messy. There's a lot of confusing interchangeable names (Bethel and Luz are the same town, as are Jacob and Israel the same person), a list thrown towards the end of the chapter (which lists the names of the sons that we should already know had we've been reading since Chapter 29 with the birth of Leah's first four sons), God giving Jacob his new name of Israel for the second time, and the mention of Rebekah's slave Deborah's death (to whom we were never introduced) for seemingly little reason. Rachel dies during childbirth bearing Jacob's/Israel's final son Benjamin (who also got a second name from his dying mom, "Ben-oni" - but apparently Jacob/Israel didn't care enough for it, renaming him "Benjamin") while Reuben (Jacob's/Israel's oldest son) gets it on with Rachel's slave-girl Bilhah. Isaac finally kicks the bucket at a nice round age of 180 and is buried by Jacob/Israel and his brother Esau.

GENESIS: Chapters 32 & 33

Chapter 32
Summary:	Jacob and his household continued on to Canaan and was met along the way by God's angels. When Jacob saw them he concluded that God lived there and named the place "God's Territory". Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau in Edom telling him that he had been staying with Uncle Laban for the past 20 years, became wealthy with livestock and slaves, and informs his brother that he's coming and that he's hoping Esau will be friendly to him. The messengers returned with the news that Esau was on his way to meet Jacob with an army of 400 men. Jacob now terrified, divided his flocks and slaves into two groups, surmising that if Esau attacks one group that the other could flee to safety. He then prays for God's protection, and also puts together a welcoming gift for Esau consisting of: 200 Nanny Goats 20 billy goats 200 ewes 20 rams 30 milk camels (with their colts) 40 cows 10 bulls 20 female donkeys 10 male donkeys Jacob instructs his servants to drive them on ahead, each group of animals separated by a distance. He tells the first group that when the meet Esau they were to tell him that these flocks belong to his servant Jacob and are a gift for his master Esau, and to also tell him that Jacob is coming up right behind them. He gave the same instructions to each group and sent the flocks ahead while he stayed behind staying the night in camp. However, during the night Jacob got up and woke up his wives and concubines along with his children, and took them across the Jordan River. When he returned to camp alone, a Man* began wrestling with Jacob, and wrestled with him until dawn. When the man saw that he couldn't win the match, he struck Jacob's hip, knocking it out of joint at its socket*. The man demanded to be let go as dawn was approaching, but Jacob replied that he wouldn't let the man go until he had blessed Jacob. The man asked Jacob his name, and then told him that his name was no longer Jacob. He told Jacob that his name was now Israel (meaning "One who has power with God"). When Jacob/Israel asked the man for his name, the man refused to tell him stating that he shouldn't ask that, and then the man blessed him. Jacob named the place "Peniel" (meaning "The Face of God") seeing as he had seen the face of God and had lived to tell it. The sun rose as he started on and he walked away with a limp due to his hip.
Notes:	1.)The word Man is implied to be God by the capitalization of the word. 2.) Due to this story, the people of Israel refuse to eat the sciatic muscle where it attaches to the hip.
Thoughts:	Jacob continues his trend of naming places after his visions of God at both the beginning and end of the chapter. For reasons unclear, Jacob decides to announce his presence to his brother Esau as he's traveling back to his home land. When his messengers return with the news that Esau is coming to meet him - with an army of 400, Jacob understandably begins to get a bit frightened. He decides to split up his flock (and slaves) into two groups, hoping that if he's attacked then at least one half of his flock and his slave collection will survive the attack. He then prays for God's protection, and then shows that there is a least a small doubt in his faith - he figures a little bribery couldn't hurt, and prepares some gifts for his brother Esau. He sends the gift up ahead of himself, but instead of following along, he sends his wife, concubines, and his children across the Jordan River and returns back to his camp - and then things get weird. I mean, really weird. In a paragraph that seems more like a peyote trip than a divine story, a man has appeared at Jacobs camp - without any explanation as to how he got there, where he came from, and what his intentions were. However, we the readers are to understand that this is God in the form of this Man by the fact that we're seeing that the word "Man" is capitalized. Jacob and the Man inexplicably begin wrestling with each other (also for reasons unclear) with Jacob gaining the upper hand. When the Man saw that he couldn't win(?) he goes for the cheap shot and strikes Jacob's hip hard enough to knock it out of its socket. Why we are lead to believe that the almighty creator of the universe can't win a simple wrestling match against a mere mortal like Jacob is beyond me, as is the entire point of wrestling with a god as it is. Apparently a busted hip still doesn't stop Jacob from hanging in the match, and the Man demands that Jacob let him go, as dawn is approaching - as perhaps, maybe the man is a vampire or something(?) - but Jacob refuses to let go until the Man/Count Yahweh blesses him. Ignoring his alleged omniscience, the Man asks Jacob for his name and then tells him that he is no longer to be known as Jacob, but is now to be called Israel - noting that it loosely means "the guy who delivered the Smackdown to God", or "Because Stone Cold Israel Said So". When Jacob asks the man for his name, in a bizarre fairytale-like response, the Man tells him that he mustn't ask. The defeated Man then blesses Jacob/Israel and Jacob/Israel lets him go. He limps along and names his location after his Heavyweight Championship Title Match Victory, and that like his estranged Aunt Hagar, he saw the face of God and had lived. Perhaps it is just me, but I think too much importance is placed upon seeing the face of God and being shocked at living to tell about it. While it's probably notable that few people in the bible do get the honor of seeing God face to face, I don't see the connection to the fear of "instant death" that they're expecting.
Chapter 33
Summary:	Far in the distance Jacob sees Esau approaching with his army, and he arranges his family into a single file - with his two concubines at the front with their children, followed by Leah and her children, and lastly Rachel and Joseph at the back of the line. Jacob then went ahead to meet his brother. When he approached Esau, he bowed low before him seven times. Esau ran to Jacob embracing and kissing him, bringing both brothers to tears. Jacob introduced Esau to his family, with each group (his concumbines, Leah, and Rachel with their children) bowing before Esau. Esau then asked what the flocks were for, and upon being told they were gifts he initially refuses them telling Jacob that he has plenty already. Jacob insisted, and Esau relented and finally accepted them. Esau then offers to have him and his men lead the way back to Canaan, but Jacob replies that the smaller children and the young of the flock can't be pushed too hard, and that Esau's men should go on ahead while Jacob's family and flock follow at their own pace. When Esau suggested that he should at least leave some of his men to travel with Jacob, serving as aides and guides, Jacob flatly refuses. Esau started back to Seir, while Jacob and his household made it as far as Succoth. There he built himself a camp with pens for his flocks (explaining that this is what the name "Succoth" means - being "huts"). Then they arrived safely at Shechem, in Canaan, and camped outside the city. He bought the land from the family of Hamor, Schechem's father, for 100 pieces of silver. There he erected an altar and called it "El-Elohe-Israel" - meaning "The Altar to the God of Israel".
Thoughts:	After a teary family reunion amongst the two brothers, we're still left to see that there's a bit of distrust between their intentions - but perhaps that's a given after that whole "sell me your birthright for a bowl of soup routine" from Chapter 25 and following that up with the "lets trick my blind father into giving me my older brother's blessings" from Chapter 27. Jacob (strangely not referred to as Israel yet, despite the name change God gave him) opts to travel behind Esau at a slower pace and refuses to let Esau's troops stay behind to help. He eventually arrives at Shechem and buys a spot of land and builds an altar to God there.

GENESIS: Chapters 28 & 29

Chapter 28
Summary:	Isaac called for Jacob, and blessed him. Isaac tells him not to marry one of the local Canaanite girls, but instead to go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of his grandfather (Rebekah's father, Bethuel). He tells Jacob to marry one of his cousins - one of Uncle Laban's daughters - and sends him away to Paddan-aram. Meanwhile Esau finds out that Isaac has sent Jacob to Paddan-aram to find a wife and also (finally) realizes that his father despises the local Canaanite girls. So Esau heads out to the lands of his Uncle Ishmael and marries two additional wives from there, one wife being Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth, daughter of Ishmael. Jacob leaves Beer-sheba and begins his journey to Haran. When he stops to rest that night and laid down to sleep, he dreams of a giant staircase* reaching from earth to heaven and sees many angels climbing and descending. At the top of the stairs stood God who gives Jacob his usual speech: this land is yours, you will have many descendants, you will be blessed by me, etc. - he caps it off telling Jacob that he will be with him wherever he goes, protecting him until God has finished giving Jacob everything he has promised. Jacob wakes up terrified thinking he has stumbled upon God's home and that this land is the entrance to heaven. He sets a stone (that he had previously used as a headrest during his dream) upright as a memorial pillar and poured olive oil over it. He named the place Bethel (meaning "House of God") which was previously known as Luz. Jacob declares that if God will in fact help him, then he will in turn choose Yahweh* as his god and will return to this very spot to worship him and will give 10 percent of everything he receives back to God.
Notes:	1.) Or "Jacob's Ladder" of which this chapter serves as the inspiration for the name. 2.) Yahweh (or Jehovah) is the name of God.
Thoughts:	Isaac once again reminds his sons that the Canaanite girls are the lowest form of scum as he sends Jacob off to find himself a cousin(!) / wife. Esau begins to think that maybe his dad might be right about his bigotry, yet instead of leaving his wives for new ones, he just adds a few more wives to his collection - including his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of his uncle Ishmael. Meanwhile Jacob has a dream about God and wakes up thinking that the village he is in is God's home. How or why he comes to this conclusion is a bit unclear and seems a bit silly to think of this little village in the middle of nowhere as something to the effect of God's summer home when he's vacationing away from heaven. I guess even mighty, angered, jealous dieties need a vacation once in a while.
Chapter 29
Summary:	Jacob traveled on and finally arrived in land of the east. He saw in the distance three flocks of sheep waiting to be watered. As he approached the shepherds, he asked them where they lived, to which they told him they lived in Haran. He continued to ask them if they knew Laban, the son of Nahor, to which the shepherds replied that they did, and that Laban was well and prosperous. He then asked the shepherds why they hadn't yet removed the rock covering the well so that they could water their sheep. The shepherds told him that they only remove the rock once all the flocks of sheep have arrived at the well. As Jacob was chatting away with the shepherds, the shepherds pointed out that the shepherdess that had just now arrived at the well was Laban's daughter Rachel. As he felt he was now entitled to do so (as Rachel was his cousin, and Rachel's sheep belonged to his uncle) he removed the rock covering the well and watered the sheep. He kissed Rachel and explained that he was her cousin and the son of Rebekah, her father Laban's sister. She ran home and told her father, and in turn Laban rushed out to greet Jacob and brought him home. After Jacob had been there for about a month, Laban offered to pay him for the work he was doing around the household. It states that Laban had two daughter: Leah, the eldest, who apparently had lovely eyes; and Rachel, the younger, who is described as "shapely". As Jacob had pretty much fallen in love with his cousin Rachel, he tells his uncle Laban that he will work for him for seven years in exchange for Rachel's hand in marriage. Uncle Laban agrees, stating that he'd rather give his daughter away to Jacob rather than someone outside the family. Jacob worked off his seven years (which to him seemed like mere moments, due to his love for Rachel) and asked for Rachel's hand in marriage so that he could sleep with her. Uncle Laban holds a big feast for Jacob, and after the party was over it was dark out. He then lead his daughter Leah into Jacob's room and they slept together. When Jacob woke up in the morning to find Leah in his bed he confronts his uncle Laban about the trickery. Uncle Laban explains that it goes against their customs to marry off a younger daughter ahead of an older one, but tells Jacob that he can have Rachel as well - if he works for him yet another seven years. Jacob works for his uncle another seven years and finally gets Rachel. Laban gives Rachel a slave named Bilhah to be her maid, just as he had given Leah a slave named Zilpah seven years prior to be Leah's maid. Jacob finally gets to bed Rachel and he comes to the conclusion that he loves Rachel far more than Leah. However, since Jacob was slighting Leah, God let Leah bear children while making Rachel barren. Leah becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son named Reuben (meaning "God has noticed my trouble"). She becomes pregnant again, naming her second son Simeon (meaning "God heard". She has a third son whom she names Levi (meaning "Attachment"), and a fourth and final son which she named Judah (meaning "Praise").
Thoughts:	Here we find Jacob finding and falling in love with his shapely cousin Rachel and working for his Uncle Laban in order to buy her hand in marriage. However, Uncle Laban being the crafty individual pulls the ol' switcheroo and sends his daughter Leah in to sleep with Jacob instead. It appears that the way marriage and virginity was looked at in the bible is the old slogan: "You break it, you buy it". It's interesting to note that there isn't any special ceremony for marriage, you simply sleep with a young lady and presto, she's your wife! Anyways, Jacob's obviously a bit steamed about the prank his trickster Uncle Laban just played on him, but Laban cons Jacob into another seven years of labor - giving him Rachel for real this time, no tricks, no fooling. Jacob now having the girl of his dreams as wife #2 obviously begins to favor her more, but God shows pity upon Leah by making her the sole baby making machine, leaving Rachel barren. God doesn't seem to be concerned that Jacob never really wanted to marry Leah and was only legally bound to her due to his prankster Uncle tricking Jacob into sleeping with her. Apparently God agrees with the mantra "you break it, you buy it" concerning Leah's virginity, and isn't too pleased when Jacob shows favoritism towards Rachel seven years later. He apparently thinks that having Leah bear a bunch of the children, while making Rachel barren, will make Jacob respect her a little more.

GENESIS: Chapters 26 & 27

Chapter 26
Summary:	A severe famine swept the land (as had happened before in Abraham's time) so Isaac moved to the City of Gerar where King Ambimelech, king of the Philistines, lived. God appears to Isaac and tells him not to travel into Egypt, to do obey him, and to stay in this land - and it will be blessed to Isaac and his descendants, just as it was blessed to his father Abraham before him. So Isaac remained in Gerar, and when the men of the city began to ask him about Rebekah, he claimed that she was his sister, fearing that they would kill him to get to her, as she was very attractive. When King Ambimelech spotted Isaac caressing Rebekah while looking out his window he summoned Isaac. Seeing that Rebekah was Isaac's wife, he asked Isaac why he had said that she was his sister. Isaac answered that he feared being murdered so that someone could take Rebekah from him. Ambimelech asked Isaac why he would treat the people of his kingdom that way, stating that if Rebekah were to be harmed or raped, that his people would be doomed. King Ambimelech then made a public proclamation to his people that anyone who harmed Isaac or Rebekah would be executed. That year Isaac had a tremendous surplus in crops, 100 times the grain he sowed, and became a wealthy man. He had large flocks of sheep, goats, great herds of cattle, and many slaves. The Philistines grew very jealous of Isaac and filled up his wells with dirt, wells that were dug by his Abraham's servants. King Ambimelech later asked Isaac to leave his land as he had become too rich and powerful for Ambimelech's kingdom. Isaac moved to the Gerar Valley and redug the wells of his father, and gave them the same names that his father originally gave them. His shepherds also dug a new well in Gerar Valley and found a gushing underground spring. The local shepherds came and claimed the well for themselves and argued over it with Isaac's herdsmen. Isaac named the well Eseb (meaning "Well of Argument"). Isaac's men dug another well, but it too was fought over by the local shepherds. Isaac named this well Sitnah (meaning "Well of Anger"). Abandoning the "Well of Anger", Isaac dug another new well and the locals finally left him alone. He named this well Rehoboth (meaning "Well of Room Enough for Us at Last"). When Isaac went to Beer-sheba, God appeared to him on the night of his arrival reaffirming (and repeating) what he had stated to Isaac many times already (that he was blessed, and that God will give him many descendants, and that he will keep his promise with his father Abraham through him, etc.). Isaac built an altar and worshiped God; he settled there and his servants dug a new well. King Ambimelech paid him a visit one day from Gerar along with his advisor and military commander. Isaac demanded to know why they had come, stating that it could not be a "friendly visit" considering how he was kicked out of Gerar in what he felt was the most uncivil way. Ambimelech stated that it was plain to see that Isaac was blessed by God, and asked for a treaty between his kingdom and Isaac. Isaac held a feast to celebrate the treaty and both King Ambimelech and Isaac took an solemn oaths to seal a non-aggression pact. That same day, Isaac's servants found water in the well that they'd been digging, so they named the well Beer-sheba (meaning "Oath"). Esau, at the age of forty married a girl named Judith, daughter of Be-eri the Hethite; and also married Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hethite. However, both Isaac and Rebekah did not approve of Esau's marriages.
Thoughts:	Poor King Ambimelech finds himself virtually repeating history again with Abraham's son Isaac. Although King Ambimelech did not this time take Rebekah (as he and the Egyptian Pharaoh had claimed Sarai/Sarah), once again we're faced with the similar story of Isaac claiming that his wife is actually his sister. However, unlike Abraham who at least had a grain of truth to his story (Sarai/Sarah was his half-sister) Isaac is flat out lying - much to the anger of King Ambimelech who had been through this charade before. The rest of the chapter seems to serve only to explain the names of the wells in the region featuring slightly comical stories of the local shepherds fighting over and claiming the wells Isaac's slaves had just finished digging for themselves. Almost as an afterthought and an aside, we're filled in about Esau's polygamist marriages much to the displeasure of his parents.
Chapter 27
Summary:	In Isaac's old age he had gone half-blind and expecting to die soon, he called for his elder son Esau. He told Esau to take his bow and arrows and to hunt some venison to be prepared just the way Isaac prefered it. Furthering that he would give Esau his blessings that were due to him from his birthright. Rebekah, having overheard their conversation, called to her son Jacob and told him what had been said to his brother Esau. She instructed him to bring two young goats from their flock and that she would prepare his father's favorite dish from them. She tells him that he is to bring the dish to his father so that Jacob will be blessed instead of Esau. Jacob protested knowing that his father would not be so easily fooled, yet did as his mother requested. She then took Esau's finest clothes and made Jacob put them on. Rebekah also fashioned a pair of gloves from the hairy skin of the goats and fastened a strip of the hide around Jacob's neck. She gave him the plate of meat with some freshly baked bread and sent him into his father's room. Jacob called out to his father, and Isaac unsure of which of his sons was calling asked if it was Esau or Jacob. Jacob lied and identified himself as his brother Esau, and announced to his father that he had brought him the venison he requested. Isaac asked his son how was he able to hunt and prepare it so swiftly, to which Jacob claimed that God had put it in his path for him. Isaac, asked his son to come closer so that he could feel if he was indeed speaking with Esau or not. Isaac proclaims that while the voice is of Jacob, the hands are certainly Esau's - and asks his son point blank if he is truly Esau. Jacob answers "I am"*. Isaac ask for his son to kiss him, and when Jacob draws close as he kisses his father on the cheek, Isaac smells Esau's clothes and finally erases his doubts. He blesses Jacob with this blessing: 28: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. As soon as Jacob departs Esau returns from his hunt, also bringing his father's favorite dish to bring to him. As Esau announces that he has returned with his father's venison, his father asks who has approached him. When Esau identifies himself, Isaac begins to tremble noticeably and asks who it was that was just here and whom he just irrevocably blessed. Esau began to sob bitterly before his father explains that although Esau's life will be difficult and that he will be forced to serve under his brother Jacob for a time, that he will eventually shake loose from him and be free. Esau was now filled with hate for his brother Jacob and swore to himself that he would kill Jacob after his father dies. Somehow(!) someone got wind of what he was planning and warned Rebekah. She then told Jacob to flee to his Uncle Laban (her brother) in Haran, and instructed him to remain there until Esau's anger blows over and/or he forgets what Jacob had done. Rebekah tells Jacob that she will call for him when the time comes. The chapter closes with Rebekah complaining to Isaac that she would rather die than to see Jacob marry a local girl.
Notes:	1.) The exact translation is debated, where it is thought that Jacob answers something to the extent of "I am, me" or "I am who I am" in order to preserve an element of truthfulness to his reply. 2.) The bible does not explain how "somehow" Esau's thinking to himself became known by someone else. Perhaps God was listening in?
Thoughts:	Although it mentions that Isaac is half-blind at this time, I can't seem to find any translation for this chapter that implies that he's half-stupid as well. Any father that could mistake the sound of one son's voice for another - after a lengthy conversation, and mistakes goat fur for human hair, either hasn't spent much time around his kids (or goats for that matter) or is a couple of sandwiches short in the picnic basket. I find it extremely difficult to believe that this deception could have taken place considering the amount of doubt Isaac is voicing throughout. However, perhaps it's not much of a stretch to doubt Isaac's lack of brain power when compared to his son Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of soup. I also find it strange that God doesn't apparently have veto power over Isaac's blessing, especially when it was obtained through Jacob (and Rebekah's) lying and deception.

GENESIS: Chapters 24 & 25

Chapter 24
Summary:	Abraham was now a very old man, yet blessed by God in every way. He asked his head servant to promise not to allow his son Isaac to marry a local Canaanite girl, instructing the servant to instead travel to Abraham's homeland to find a wife for Isaac there. The servant asked Abraham as to whether he should bring Isaac to live amongst his relatives if he should find that he cannot find a girl willing to travel the far distance to Canaan. To which Abraham emphatically warns against, stating that this land has been given to him by God for Isaac. He tells the servant that God will send an angel ahead of him that will see to it that that the servant will find a girl to be Isaac's wife. He tells the servant that if he does not succeed, then he is free from his promise, but under no circumstances is he to take Isaac there. The servant packed samples of the best of Abraham's wealth along with ten of Abraham's camels and journeyed to Iraq to Nahor's village. When he arrived he parked the camels next to a spring and asked God to give him a sign to help him pick out the right girl for Isaac. Knowing that the girls of the village would be fetching water from this spring, he sets out a criteria for God to fulfill for him: he states that whenever a girl approaches the spring to fetch some water, he will ask them if they could spare some water for himself; if God "guides" the girl to not only agree, but to offer some water to the camels, the servant will be affirmed that God has chosen this girl for Isaac. Sure enough a beautiful young girl named Rebekah (the daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor and his wife Milcah) arrives with a water jug and upon the being asked, agrees to give some water to the servant, and offers to water the camels also. After the camels were finished drinking he gave her a golden earring and a pair of golden bracelets and inquired to whose daughter she was and whether her father could put him up for the night. When she told him who her father was, the servant pauses to thank God for leading him to his master's relatives. When the girl went home to tell her family, her brother Laban saw the golden jewelry and heard her story. He rushed out towards the spring and invited the servant back to their home. After they settled the servant and his camels in, and as they were about to serve dinner, the servant insisted on explaining his visit before the meal. He explains to them*. what Abraham had sent him to do, and about his prayer to God by the spring - including his "offering water to the camels" provision. He concludes that God had lead Rebekah, being family, to the servant and now asks if she will be permitted to travel back with him. Laban and Bethuel, convinced that God had brought Abraham's servant here, tell the servant to take Rebekah and allow her to marry Isaac. Rebekah's mother tries to stall the servant's departure by another ten days, but when the servant protests they both agree to ask Rebekah whether she is ready to leave. With Rebekah's okay, they sent her on her way (along with her childhood nurse) and her family blessed her with a prayer as they parted: Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. Meanwhile, Isaac had returned to Beer-lahai-roi, and as he was out talking a walk he spotted the camels approaching. Rebekah dismounted and asked the servant who it was that was approaching to meet them. When she was told that it was Abraham's son, she covered her face with a veil. The servant then told the entire story to Isaac*. Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother's tent and she became his wife. He loved her, and she became a comfort to him after the loss of his mother.
Notes:	1.) The bible has the servant recount the entire exchange adnauseum. 2.) Thankfully, the bible does not repeat the story in full for a third time.
Thoughts:	This chapter begins by yet again reinforcing the stigma that geography and ethnicity determines a person's worth, virtues, morality, and class. Abraham immediately elevates every female citizen from his birth place to a higher status than every single Canaanite. Sadder still, is to know that in our modern society this kind of prejudice was common place only decades ago, and still to a smaller extent continues to exist. Catholic parents don't want their sons to marry a Jewish girl; protestant parents don't want their daughters to marry a catholic; white (or other race) parents don't want their children to marry someone of a different race; etc. People are unfairly judged as a whole instead of as individuals by their race, their hometown, their choice of religion (or their lack thereof), and are instead lumped into groups weighted with predefined judgments against them. Following this, we then travel along with Abraham's head servant and read the silliest description of a "sign from God" - that if a girl offers to give water to the servant's camels that she was somehow persuaded by God (or chosen by God) to do so? In the chapter it isn't clear whether God confirms that he'll even play along with this request that the servant prayed for which pretty much makes the criteria seem about as reliable as a fortune cookie or one of those Magic 8-ball novelty gifts. Anyways, the girl who guesses what's behind Door #2 turns out to be Abraham's niece, so it appears that should appease Abraham's scrutiny and keep things in the family.
Chapter 25
Summary:	Abraham married again, this time to a woman named Keturah who bore him the following children (and their descendants): Zimran Jokshan: Sheba Dedan: Asshurim Letushim Leummim Medan Midian: Ephah Epher Hanoch Abida Eldaah Ishbak Shuah Abraham deemed everything he owned to Isaac, however he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away to the east away from Isaac. Abraham died at the age of 175* and his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Mach-pelah near Mamre, in the field that Abraham had purchased from Ephron. After Abraham's death, God poured out rich blessings upon Isaac, who had now moved south to Beer-lahai-roi in the Negeb. Ishmael lived until the age of 137 and left behind 12 sons. The following is a list of Ishmael's twelve sons (who founded the twelve tribes that bore their names) by the orders of their births: Nebaioth Kedar Abdeel Mibsam Mishma Dumah Massa Hadad Tema Jetur Naphis Kedemah These descendants of Ishmael were scattered across the country from Havilah to Shur (which is northeast of the Egyptian border towards Assyria) and were constantly at war with one another. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, and after twenty years of remaining childless and pleading to God to grant them a child, she finally became pregnant with twins whom she could feel fighting within her womb. Troubled by this she consulted God about her pregnancy in which he replied that the sons in her womb would become fierce rivaling nations. He continued to explain that the older son would become a servant to the younger. The first born twin was born covered in thick red hair and was named Esau, while the younger twin was born clutching Esau's heel and was named Jacob (meaning "grabber"). As the twins grew, Esau became a skilled hunter while Jacob was more of a quiet type, who preferred to stay at home. Isaac's favorite was Esau, for the venison he brought home, while Rebekah favored Jacob. One day Esau returned from an exhausting day of hunting to find Jacob at home cooking a stew. Famished, Esau begged his brother to share his stew. Jacob agreed on the condition that Esau defaulted his birthright to him. In desperation from hunger, Esau saw little value in the birthright he had just surrendered to Jacob and accepted the meal that Jacob fed him.
Notes:	1.) This is not a typo. The bible lists Abraham's actual age at death as 175 years old.
Thoughts:	Another poorly laid out chapter that intermingles long lists of descendants (most of whom will not be mentioned much further) with narrative stories. What we walk away with is that Abraham finally dies at age 175(!) - and despite the brief mention of his wife (concubine) Keturah and her children - we're meant to focus on Isaac (and finish off Ishmael's part of the story). The focus of the story has now shifted away from Abraham's life and onto the lives of Isaac and his twin sons. From our meager introductions to Esau and Jacob bargaining over their birthrights versus a hearty stew, we can deduce that either Esau is probably not the sharpest tool in the shed, or that Jacob is simply one hell of a cook.