Day 16: The Suffering of Job

 Today's reading: Genesis 31-32, Job 21-22, and Proverbs 3:9-12.

I. Today's reading in Genesis begins with Jacob fleeing with his wives and all of his stuff, after being told by God to "return to the land of your fathers" (31:1-21). Laban and his kin overtake Jacob, accuse him of fleeing without letting him celebrate his departure by wishing him and his daughters well (31:22-42). This sounds doubtful in my opinion, but more like Laban wanted to take back Jacob's stuff. Nevertheless, Laban and Jacob made a covenant with each other and then parted (31:43-55). Next, Jacob reached out to Esau, his brother, whom he had cheated, desiring peace. His servants returned from seeing his brother and let Jacob know that Esau "is coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him" (32:6). Jacob was understandably afraid, for it does sound like his brother was out to take revenge with that many men at his side, and after begging God to save him sent Esau some gifts to appease him (32:9-21). The reading ends with a curious wrestling match between Jacob and an angelic figure. The Ignatius Bible describes it in this way:

A mysterious contest between Jacob and a nameless angel (Hos 12:4). After a night of outwrestling his opponent, Jacob is renamed "Israel" and limps away from the scene with a blessing and a bad hip. Allegorically, the angel is a type of Christ, and his defeat points to the Passion of Christ, who allowed his own people to prevail over him. And just as the victorious Jacob was blessed and injured at the same time, so with the people of Israel: some are blessed to believe in Christ, while others are crippled in unbelief... Morally, to wrestle with God is to struggle for virtue... (p. 99)

II. Poor Job gives another reply to his "friend" Eliphaz, rebuking his claim that the wicked are always punished by God in this life (21:7-16), dismissing his claims as "falsehood" (21:34). We get the last speech by Eliphaz in response, and it is unchanged in that he believes that Job is suffering due to some offense he did against God. 

The BIY Companion, Vol 1, comments on this:

Sometimes suffering is caused by bad decisions, either our own or those of others. At other times, God permits suffering to get our attention, to help us realize that we need to draw closer to him. God can use suffering to teach us a deeper kind of wisdom. The Bible makes clear that Job was a righteous man. He was not guilty of anything; he did not need to repent. So his suffering was not due to something he had done... [W]e do not know the mind of God or his perfect will. Sometimes there is no human answer; ultimately, the answer can only come from God himself. (p. 38)

III. Finally, we are given yet another tiny morsel from Proverbs. This one actually has some good advice on honoring God and a reminder lest we despair in bad times that God "reproves him whom he loves" (3:12). Given the suffering of poor Job I've reading about, this is a good reminder.

That's it for today.

Day 15: Leah Feels Unloved

 Today's reading: Genesis 29-30, Job 19-20, and Proverbs 3:5-8.

I. Jacob meets up with Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban, whom he falls in love with (29:1-14). His past deceit catches up with him, as he himself is deceived by Laban when he asks to marry Rachel and agrees to work 7 years for him. Instead, he is secretly given the elder daughter, Leah. He then agrees to work 7 more years for Rachel, which he does. Leah bears four sons to Jacob (29:15-30). Poor Leah! She tries hard for Jacob's love, seemingly to no avail. As the BIY Companion, Vol 1, states:

While Jacob loves Rachel, Leah has to suffer the wound of being merely tolerated by him... God sees Leah's pain in being unloved, so he opens her womb while Rachel remains barren. As Leah bears children, she keeps expecting Jacob to grow in love for her and for that love to surpass his love for Rachel, but this does not happen... Eventually, Leah gives up the hope of Jacob loving her and chooses to praise the Lord instead. (p. 36)

During this competition of sorts between the sisters, servant girls are used when needed, as well as "aphrodisiacs" such as mandrakes (30:1-24). So basically, we have the whole mix that we've seen before, and Laban deceives Jacob like he had done to his brother Esau.

Today's reading ends with an odd story of how Jacob became wealthy at Laban's expense, from his herd of goats and sheep (30:25-43). It's difficult to know what to make of this, except maybe some kind of foreshadowing of much later Temple requirements on unblemished animals being used for sacrifice.

II. Poor Job gives another desperate plea to his friends, though has some interesting insight. As the Ignatius Bible notes in the footnotes:

This discourse is one of the highpoints of the book where Job arrives at a new perception of his situation. Not only does he break down and plead for the pity of his friends (19:21), but for the first time thus far, he expresses the hope that God will vindicate him after death (19:25-26). (p. 804)

Yeah, Job's pleas have no effect on his "friends". Zophar is offended and gives another rebuke of how the wicked are justly punished by God, which clearly Job is one of, and that's why he is in such misery (20:1-29). 

Again, poor Job needs better friends! With this, the miserable Job is done for the day.

III. In Proverbs, another tiny morsel when something more would be fitting. Still, there is a good verse from the father to his son that he should always "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight" (3:5).

That's it for today!

Day 14: Isaac Blesses Jacob

 Today's reading: Genesis 27-28, Job 17-18, and Proverbs 3:1-4.

I. Jacob shows us what a deceiver he was in life by tricking his father to gain the blessing usually given to the firstborn son, which would be Esau in this case (27:1-29). The Ignatius Bible comments on this in the footnotes:

Jacob intercepts the blessing intended for Esau and cheats him out of the inheritance of the firstborn. His mother, Rebekah, is the mastermind behind the ruse, guiding him at each crucial step. The Genesis narrative is not blind to their underhanded ways; rather, it frowns upon Jacob the deceiver and almost pities Esau the victim. It is just as aware, however, that Esau shamefully despised his natural birthright (25:29-34). The story thus illustrates how God can further his plan despite the failings of his people. God had already elected Jacob over Esau to bear the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant (25:23; Rom 9:10-13). (p. 92)

So not only did Jacob manipulate his own brother to gain Esau's birthright (25:29-34), but now he tricks his own father to steal the man's blessing too! Worse, he does so with the connivance of Rebekah! That such disgraceful behavior by prominent founding personages from Hebrew history, helps indicate to me that this must be true as recorded in the Scriptures. For usually, such figures are covered in glory with their faults minimized or ignored. 

The BIY Companion, Vol 1, has some good commentary on the brokenness of this family:

Genesis makes clear that Esau was especially loved by Isaac, while Jacob was favored by Rebekah. This exacerbates the brokenness already a part already a part of them through sin and affects the entire family dynamic. (p. 34)

Or in other words, while Jacob and Esau are responsible for their own sins, their own parents helped begin this nasty cycle by their excessive favoring of one son over the other.

Esau has to settle for a lesser blessing, which sound like one for second sons, even though he is the elder one (27:39-40). Naturally, Esau is enraged and "hated Jacob," vowing to kill him after his father passes away (27:41). Rebekah finds out and sends Jacob away, making him swear not to marry a Canaanite woman (27:42-46).

Interestingly, Isaac then gives Jacob another blessing also warning him not to marry a Canaanite woman after which, Jacob leaves (28:1-5). He has a remarkable dream at what would later be called Bethel, in which God appears to him and reiterates the blessings given to Abraham (22:15-18; 28:10-22). 

And with this, today's reading in Genesis ends.

II. Job prays for relief from his sufferings, beginning with this pitiful line:

My spirit is broken, my days are extinct,

    the grave is ready for me. (17:1)

His friend Bildad gives another speech, rebuking him at first (18:1-14), highly insulted by Job calling them "stupid" (18:3), and then giving him another warning to Job of what befalls sinners (18:15-21). 

So again, no solace for poor Jacob or comfort, even from his "friends", and certainly no understanding.

III. Ok, yet more tiny morsels from Proverbs! Today, the father to not "forget my teaching" for all his life, to not "let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you," and if he does these things, he will "find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man" (3:1-4).

If it hasn't become clear, I do not care for how BIY divides up Proverbs at least. I'll stick with the "process" for now, but I'm tempted to ignore it for this book if this continues. Just a  few verses from a chapter make no sense, and no explanation either is given.

That's it for today.

Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright

 Today's reading: Genesis 25-26, Job 15-16, and Proverbs 2:20-22.

I. Today's reading in Genesis begins oddly, with Abraham marrying his concubine Keturah, who bore him 6 more sons (25:1-2). The sons of most of these are listed, but none of them stick around for long in the narrative because Abraham sends them away like Ishmael (21:9-14; 25:6). It's a rather weird family dynamic, with children and their offspring being sent away like this, but I suppose it worked back then to protect the promises God made through Isaac (17:18-21) and not these others, as well as the property he would inherit from Abraham. 

Then, Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah (25:7-9). That this was done by both Isaac and Ishmael raises questions over how they related to each other not only during this, but in other times. Did they keep in contact with each other? I can't imagine Thanksgiving-like dinners or holiday visits, but if they did, in what way?

We are given a listing of Ishmael's descendants (25:12-18), and then the narrative switches quickly to Isaac. It is from him and Rebekah that we get the twins Esau and Jacob, with this curious foreshadowing from God:

"Two nations are in your womb,

    and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided;

the one shall be stronger than the other,

    the elder shall serve the younger." (25:23)

Their "struggle together within" Rebekah would come to be true outside the womb. Jacob began by grasping Esau's heel at birth (25:26), and later tricked him out of his birthright (25:29-34). He doesn't come across very well at all, given how opportunistic and manipulative he is with his own brother. Nevertheless, Esau treats a sacred inheritance as trivial and trades long-term covenantal responsibility for immediate appetite, which doesn't say much for him. I have to wonder though if there is more to this story. Right now, it looks to me like gluttony in action, which explains why it is considered one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Momentary satisfaction of hunger, a bowl of stew for his birthright. He really must have "despised his birthright" or thought so little of it.

Next, we see Isaac going to Gerar, of the Philistines, due to a famine. He tries the lie that his wife is his sister (26:7), but the king there spots the two in an intimate moment (26:8), so warns all his people not to touch her (26:11). Isaac isn't punished for his lie, but like before with Abraham, he instead gets wealthy (26:12-13). There is some back-and-forth with the Philistines, until finally their king seeing that Isaac is so blessed by God, makes a covenant of peace with him (26:28-31).

Today's reading in Genesis ends with Esau taking a Hittite wife, "and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah" (26:34-35). I'm assuming that this means they were pagans and brought idolatry into Isaac's encampment.

II. Eliphaz again shows himself to be a questionable friend of Job in his reply. As the Ignatius Bible states in the footnotes:

Eliphaz delivers his second speech. Accusations intensify as he charges Job with turning "against God" (15:13) and making himself "abominable and corrupt" (15:16). As far as he can tell, Job is sinking deeper into sin by acting like a know-it-all and refusing to deal with the problem of unconfessed sin in his life. (p. 801)

Well, I'd say that he should be left off the Christmas gift list, or whatever the equivalent would be at that time.

Job's response to Eliphaz really makes me feel for him in the agony he has. The Ignatius Bible notes:

Job replies to Eliphaz a second time. The mockery of his friends (16:20) and the scorn of his foes (17:6) make him feel as if God is assaulting him with a violent hatred (16:9). Still, he continues to plead for a fair examination of his case (16:19-21). (p. 802) 

How could one not be moved by Job's repeated pleas, feeling abandoned by God and his friends? 

III. Finally, we are given the last verses of Chapter 2 in Proverbs. The father finishes this part by noting that if his son follows his advice, he will "walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous" and will "inhabit the land" (2:20-22). Frankly, these verses could have been included a couple of days ago, but "trust the process," I guess.

That's it for today.

Day 12: Isaac & Rebekah

 Today's reading: Genesis 24, Job 13-14, and Proverbs 2:16-19.

I. In today's reading in Genesis, Abraham sends out a servant to find a wife for Isaac. He has his servant swear an oath (24:2-4), and the manner in which it was sworn is quite shocking to modern ears. As the Ignatius Bible explains in the footnotes:

The loins or thighs represent the locus of man's procreative power (Job 40:16; Heb 7:10). Putting the hand under the thigh is an oath gesture, signifying that the swearing party invokes a curse of sterility upon himself should he fail to uphold his pledge (Deut 33:11). Here the oath makes Abraham's last living request binding upon his servant should he die before Isaac is married. (p. 87-88)

There is nothing sexual in the way this oath is sworn, and it makes sense from their cultural perspective. Certainly, this manner of swearing underscores its importance and the consequences if one should fail to keep it. Regardless, the oath is sworn, and the servant heads off, praying for God's guidance in finding a wife for Isaac (24:10-14). He finds Rebekah and, after observing her a bit, lays out the proposal to her. We get some drama from the family, but they finally accept (24:51). They travel back, Isaac and Rebekah marry, and I like how it said afterward that "he loved her" (24:67). The last line of this verse is also nice, given the loss of Sarah in the chapter before: "So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." He loved Sarah, and their marriage was a comfort to him. Pretty big for the era.

This story has been used by Muslim apologists to combat criticism of 6-year-old Aisha's marriage to Muhammad when he was 53, with it later being consummated when she was 9-years old. I only mention this because I was reminded of this and replies like this on how this is an impossibility.

II. Job kind of unleashes on his friends, questioning their integrity in judging him without examining all the facts (13:4-12). He wants to know why God has turned against him, for he knows of no sin of his that would cause this (13:16-27). The despondency of Job is clear. He notes the short lifespan of man and "wonders why God treats such a fleeting creature with terrifying severity" (p. 800).

Man that is born of a woman

    is of few days, and full of trouble.

He comes forth like a flower, and withers;

    he flees like a shadow, and continues not.

And do you open your eyes upon such a one

    and bring him[a] into judgment with you? (14:1-3)

In verses 7-17, we find Job questioning whether man lives after death, summed up with this  from verse 14: "If a man die, shall he live again?"  

Poor Job is really being put through the emotional wringer!

The BIY Companion, Vol 1, has some good commentary on this to applying it to our own lives:

Scripture teaches that we can and must praise God in those moments when we do not have the answers, during times when we might not feel his consolation. God calls us to continue walking with him, one step at a time. He invites us to witness his presence, to keep walking confidently in faith. (p. 30)

III. Finally, in Proverbs, we can't finish the chapter. No, we get instead yet another tiny morsel. The father advises his son to avoid loose women, especially married women who forsake their vows for carnal pleasure with men other than their husbands. That's essentially it. I have thus far enjoyed how the other books have been broken up, but BIY's decision on Proverbs leaves much to be desired.

That's all for today.

Day 11: The Sacrifice of Isaac

 Today's reading: Genesis 22-23, Job 11-12, and Proverbs 2:9-15.

I. Today's reading in Genesis begins with one of the most heart-wrenching episodes of Scripture: the sacrifice of Isaac. God commands Abraham to take his beloved son to Moriah and "offer him there as a burnt offering" (22:2). For a modern reader especially, this is just gobsmacking, as the Brits might say. In our minds, we have to wonder if Abraham feared that God was like the pagan deities of his time, which demanded child sacrifices to satiate them. Further, if Isaac is sacrificed, how will God fulfill His promises to make a great nation from Abraham's descendants (17:19-21)? Just on the personal level, Isaac was long anticipated by Abraham (not to mention Sarah), that he loved as even God Himself acknowledges (22:2). This has to be soul-crushing to Abraham, as it would be to just about any father who loves their children. Imagine also having to tell Sarah about all this!

Yet, it seems that this is the exact point of the test given by God. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

Abraham learns the lesson of trustful surrender to the Lord. As each stage of the process, more is asked of him than before, until all that Abraham holds dear is given over to God and nothing is held back. Each time he is summoned to sacrifice, he is asked to love the Creator more than his creatures and to esteem the divine Giver above his most precious gifts. Even when God's promises and credibility hang by a thread, the only acceptable course is to entrust ourselves to him in faith. (p. 86)

Further, Isaac is seen by Christians as prefiguring Christ. As the Ignatius Bible also notes:

Isaac is a type of Christ, for he was a son as Christ was a Son, and he carried the wood of his sacrifice just as the Lord bore the wood of the Cross... The Lord carried his Cross as Isaac carried the wood; the ram, caught by its horns in the thicket, prefigures Jesus crowned with thorns and then slain in sacrifice... (p. 84-85) 

Even so, I thank God that I have never been tested like this. Abraham may have thought that God would resurrect Isaac if necessary, but bravo to him for his strong faith. I confess that I'm too much of a "modern man," and my faith would have probably wavered from such a command.

The story ends today with the death of Sarah and her burial (23:19-20).

II. In Job, we find his friend Zophar gives one of the harshest rebukes so far, making one wonder what kind of "friends" he really has! The Ignatius Bible notes:

He thinks that Job, by declaring his innocence, is guilty of arrogant and foolish presumption, as if a man could outsmart his Maker by hiding his sin. Job is thus urged to repent and find restoration (11:13-20). Among other problems, Zophar overstates his accusations: Job may have questioned God's ways, but he never stooped to the level of mockery (11:3); also, Job is not aware of having committed serious wrongdoing, but he has never claimed to be absolutely pure in God's sight (11:4). (p. 798)

Job's reply shows that he isn't pleased with what his friends have been telling him, those in whom "wisdom will die with you" (12:2). Contrary to what Zophar has said, Job firmly acknowledges that God is sovereign over all (12:7-25). 

It is here that today's reading in Job ends.

I do like this gentle reminder from BIY Companion, Vol 1, for those left unsettled by today's readings in Genesis & Job:

The book of Job, too, reminds us of God's genuine care for us and that he is not our enemy. (p. 28)

III. In Proverbs, we are given another tiny morsel. With verses 9-15, the father continues giving advice to his son that "wisdom will come into your heart... [and] discretion will watch over you..."

That's it for today.

Day 10: Hagar & Ishamel

 Today's reading: Genesis 20-21, Job 9-10, and Proverbs 2:6-8.

I. Today's reading in Genesis begins with Abraham again using deceit by telling the local king of Gerar that beautiful Sarah was just his sister (20:1-2). Again, she is taken to be wed to the king, but Abimelech is warned by God in a dream not to touch her, and he with his household are cursed as long as Sarah remains with him (20:3-7). Somewhat horrified at being deceived like this, Abimelech called Abraham and asked him why he would do this to him (20:8-10). Abraham replied that he thought "there is no fear of God at all in this place," so he would be killed over Sarah if the king knew she was his wife (20:11-13). Abimelech may have been an unsavory character, but the warning from God got through to him quite clearly. Once again, the somewhat wily Abraham makes out grand as Abimelech gifts him many things to demonstrate that Sarah was untouched by him and invites Abraham to stay wherever he pleases (20:14-16). The chapter ends with Abraham praying for Abimelech and his household to be healed (20:17-18). On the surface, Abraham's deception seems understandable, but he doesn't come off as a very honest man when it suits him.

The BIY Companion, Vol 1, comments on this story like this: 

In so many of these early stories we see Abraham walking in faith, but we also see him faltering. He submits to circumcision and enters into the covenant with the Lord. But when he goes to Egypt and again with Abimelech, he seems to falter in his courage. He passes off Sarah as his sister twice out of fear. (p. 26)

So fear and a lack of courage are his reasons for the deceit.

In the next chapter, Sarah finally gives birth to a son, naming him Isaac (21:1-4). She is very pleased, and the child is circumsized as per the covenant (21:4-7). Next, we see the first recorded example of why man should never have more than one wife: Sarah becomes jealous of Hagar and Ishmael, and fearful for her son Isaac, asks Abraham to cast them out (21:8-10). Now that seems excessively cruel, especially back then, casting a woman and her boy into the wild with no visible support. Abraham isn't happy about this, but God assures him that it's okay because through Isaac the covenant will run, and Ishmael will still be blessed (21:11-13). Abraham consents to this, though this must have been hard since he probably never saw them again, and Hagar, with Ishmael leave (21:14). They undergo some difficulties, but an angel assures them God will care for them, and He does (21:15-21).

Finally, we get to the last act of Genesis for today. Abraham and Abimelech, with his army commander Phicol, make a covenant with each other. Given Abraham's previous conduct, I find it amusing how Abimelech puts it:

God is with you in all that you do; now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but as I have dealt loyally with you, you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned. (21:22-23)

The importance of this kind of covenant is noted by the Ignatius Bible: 

A covenant of mutual peace between Abraham and Abimelech. It follows the pattern of a Near Eastern kinship or parity covenant between equals. Both parties swear a solemn oath during the ratification ceremony (21:31), invoking God's name (21:23), and expressing their mutual commitments through a verbal declaration (21:30) and ritual action (21:28). (p. 84)

II. We see that Job is still very much in despair over his suffering, believing that God has abandoned him, though he knows not what sin he may have committed to anger Him. His utter despair is clear to me in these verses:

 Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not;

    he moves on, but I do not perceive him.

Behold, he snatches away; who can hinder him?

    Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ 

 The Ignatius Bible notes on Job's despairing plea:

He "desires a day in court" to settle the matter of his innocence (9:15), and yet he dreads the prospect of lodging a formal complaint with the Almighty (9:32-35). So he is left to complain to his friends (10:1) and to wrestle with the mystery of why he is made to suffer (10:2). He ends with a plea for a short respite before death (10:20). The language of juridical dispute permeates the discourse. (p. 796)

So in his anguish, he wishes for death but also seems to question God's justice (9:14-24). Indeed, he "seems to despair of fair treatment, as though God were indifferent to his guilt or innocence" (10:15; p. 798).

It's probably intended at this point in the story, but it is rather difficult not to really feel sorry for Job and ask God, "Why?" like many of us have done in our own lives during tough times.

It is here that today's reading in Job ends.

I do like how the BIY Companion, Vol 1, puts it for today's reading:

Job expresses questions that many of us have: Why did you, Lord, allow me to come into existence and then abandon me like this? Though I am striving to be righteous, why does it seem like you do not care? Lord, do you not care that I'm hurting so much? I thought living righteously mattered to you. It now seems like it doesn't matter at all... there is so much we do not understand about this life. But the closer we stay to him, the more we grow in wisdom and the more clearly we see things, even in the midst of suffering. (p. 26)

III. Finally, Proverbs. I've resigned myself to just getting small pieces each day, but nevertheless, I must say this morsel is rather good from the father to his son:

 For the Lord gives wisdom;

    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

    he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

guarding the paths of justice

    and preserving the way of his saints.

That's all for today.