Entry 31- The last of Genesis

Genesis 48-50

Dear Reader,

I can't imagine only reading your grandchildren on your death bed. But this is what happened to Jacob. That's sad. I also don't understand the obsession with birth order in biblical times. I'm glad I live in America in modern times where we don't particularly focus on this.

As much as Joseph got screwed by the whole birth order thing he still wanted his father and both his sons based on birth order and to give the most blessing to his older son. Jacob however was enlightened and over the whole birth order non-sense. Way to go Jacob!

Chapter 49, was about Jacob telling all of his sons how they would fare in the end time. Apparently Jacob has a son who I don't remember called Shilo because he was mentioned in this chapter. Jacob's role in this chapter reminded me of Ebenezer Scrooge going around predicting things. Unlike Ebenezer however I don't think these predictions are changeable your stuck with what you got. After these predictions Jacob dies.

In the last chapter of Genesis I must say I am very proud of Joseph for not ruling over his brothers in a mean way despite all the horrors they have done to him. Even after his father gave him complete rule over him on his death bed. I don't remember the phrase exactly it was something like "Who am I to replace God as your master?".

I don't know if I would have been that charitably had I been Joseph. But I guess he already got his revenge because of that whole silver cup thing and worked it out of his system. I am pleased that he didn't need to take another go at vengeance. This leads me to my conclusion that he is an overall good guy.

I hope I have the strength to go to church tomorrow because I feel I need some support before I begin the dreaded Leviticus. Wait I was just wrong. Leviticus isn't next. It's Exodus then Leviticus. I'm dreading Leviticus so much I keep advancing it and ignoring the miracle of Exodus. I feel like Exodus will really strengthen me to deal with all the nasty things Leviticus supposedly says about LGBT folks. I think if I can get through the third book with my faith intact I will not be in any danger of becoming an atheist. I have always avoiding reading that book for fear that what the bigots say it says it actually what it says.

Then I realized I couldn't be a true christian unless I read the whole book. If I was an atheist so be it I want to know. Having spoken to Todd today I feel much more affirmed in my personal faith and not so subject to the usurpation of my attempt to affirm or modify [as the much less likely case is] my faith by mean spirited crazy right wingers. Todd's right that's why the delete was invented. I'm going to use it next time someone goes about saying something I didn't or acts really childish in my blog. I'm not a pro-censorship person but if you can't act accordingly to the rule of civil discourse I don't need to bother with you.

Entry 28 Reading Day 25

Genesis 46

Dear Reader:
This was one of those naming chapters. You know the ones that go “so and so beget so and so”. The only name I recognized was Job- poor, long suffering man. This is the sort of chapter I like least, as it doesn’t advance the tale any.

I was brightened when, toward the end of my audio segment, Jacob and Joseph were reunited to much joy on the parts of themselves and their other family I’m sure. I can only imagine want that must have felt like. One question, why are shepherds’ an abomination to the Egyptians? It seems a funny thing to get that concerned about. Perhaps they’ll go more into that next chapter.

I’m excited that after this, I have four chapters to complete and then I’m done with Book 1. Only 65 more books to go after that. Oh my, now I am starting to feel overwhelmed. At that rate, I won’t done until sometime in 2015!! Well all I can do is keep on keeping on.

Entry 27 Reading Day 24

Genisis 45

Dear Reader,

I’m feeling much better today and that’s a good thing. It’s much easier to concentrate when your nose is not all blocked up. The Bible I’ve learned is something that requires a lot of concentration. You miss things if you don’t pay attention.

I’m happy to report that in this chapter Joseph confesses his deception to his brothers and discloses his identity. They’re not even mad at him. How could they be after all? They are the ones who sold him into slavery in the first place. I guess they figured they all had his vengeance coming. Still, for myself I’m glad that it didn’t go on much longer.

I’m also pleased that Jacob and Joseph were reunited before Jacob dies. This is as it should be. I think every parent wants to see their child one last time before they go to their Maker. I also think the reverse is true.

Entry 25, Reading Day 22

Chapter 42

Dear Reader,

If the Bible were a novel, this would be the part where I would say it’s getting good. Joseph, who now lives in Egypt, just encountered his brothers again, the same brothers who sold him into slavery several year prior. He pretended not to know them and even to think they were spies when all they were really were men seeking to survive the famine by buying some corn. I know this is a little vengeful and I’m sure it wasn’t Joseph’s finest moment, but had I been thrown into slavery by my family members I might have acted similarly even though I’m a good person at heart. At least he gave their money back and let them have the corn for free.

Their second problem was that there father would not let them take his youngest son back to meet Joseph and prove they were not spies as Joseph requested. This means they won’t be able to free the brother that he kept prisoner in waiting for their return. I feel sorry for the imprisoned brother, but I’m not too sorry because he went along with the whole selling Joseph into slavery thing all those years ago. As my great-grandmother would say “He had his comeuppance coming.” That being said, I do hope they managed to get him out of prison somehow.

In my calculation, I have 8 more chapters to go which means if all goes to plan, I’ll be finished with Genesis by next Friday. I realize this schedule means I’ll have to read two chapters in one day, but I think I can do that as some are short. After that, it’s on to Exodus and after that it’s on to the dreaded Leviticus. I think every queer liberation theologian, even a lay one such as myself, is a little afraid of that book because of all the homophobic and other bad things bigots say it contains.

Since when am I one to believe bigots anyway? Isn’t part of their bigotry is the lack of facts in their arguments? If I can get through that book which has the greatest amount of fear for me and still be a theist at the end of it, I’ll consider my faith unshakable. This is contrary to whatever my atheist friend, who called me a Nazi the other day, merely because I’m a believer (but that’s another story I won’t waste time on here) might want have happen instead. Such is life. You don’t always get what you want. I’m pretty sure she’s not going to get what she wants in this case. Of course, I’ll read the book as required. It’s good for me anyway.

Entry 18- reading day 16

Genesis 34

Dear Reader,

There was a lot of revenge in this chapter, because some prince defiled Dinah (a daughter of Jacob) and her brothers killed all in that man's city in revenge. I understand revenge and being angry over such happenings, but really to murder an entire town's worth of people, because of one bad man's action, seems a bit much. That's like me murdering every able-bodied man I see to make up for my bio dad's poor example of the specimen. Although at times, I've been tempted I've never ever done this sort of thing. I am happy to report that Jacob agreed with me and rebuked his sons for their actions.

I know that I will not finish Genesis before I go. I aim only to finish one more verse, before embarking on a week of activism. There may be new entries to this blog, as activism has been known to bring me closer to the holy (in my opinion). But of that I give no word.

Chapter 35 tomorrow. I apologize for my slowness!

Entry 17 - reading day 15

Genesis 33

Dear Reader,

I've been having a bad day, so I was pleased that this was indeed a small chapter I was happy that Esau and Jacob were reunited and that Esau followed what would have been my lead in terms of receiving Jacob, had I been in his shoes. I am even more clear after this verse that Jacob likes Rachel best, because he put her last on the meeting line. So that if Esau attacked he might kill everyone else first and spare her. Thankfully, this didn't happen.

I have a suspicion that Jacob is planning something wicked, though. I don't know why it's just a feeling. Perhaps I am suspicious because of his poor behavior towards his brother in the past. I really hope I'm wrong.

Entry 16 - reading day 14

Genesis 32

Dear Reader,

I have set a goal for myself to finish Genesis by the time I go to D.C.I figure I will leave the feared Leviticus until after I come back from back and am emotionally capable of processing it. I hope it's like Lot's Daughters whose story was capable of being interpreted because God saved them from being raped. Although, I admit it looks like Lot would have allowed this had God not intervened in the form of angels.

I think Leviticus will be the greatest test to my faith in the entire book. I'll miss you all when I'm gone. Writing this blog has been an amazing experience so far. Even when I'm really tired, I still have to write because, after all, who lies about God or things there are going to in reference to him. Some people might, but I'm not one of them.

Chapter 32 was the story of how Jacob wrestled with the angel. I vaguely knew this story from childhood churchgoing. But I'm not sure if, as Jacob assumed, the angel was actually God. I always thought it was just a random angel sent by God. The story is open to either interpretation.

I was also somewhat alarmed that Jacob was afraid that Esau would come to kill him upon his return. I know Jacob did some bad things to him as I've mentioned and if I were Esau I would be pretty angry too. That being said, after 20 years of not knowing if someone is alive or dead (had there been no communication) I think I would just be glad my brother was alive. Never mind what he'd done before. I hope Esau shares my opinion. We shall see.

In order to keep up with the goal I mentioned in the first paragraph. I need to read 17 more chapters by Wednesday as I leave for Boston early Thursday. That's 5 chapters a night. That's a lot considering I've only been doing 1.

Wish me luck. Onward! Onward!

Entry 15 - reading day 13

Genesis 31

Dear Reader,

I think this chapter may be pivotal in the bible because Jacob is returning to his biological family after 20 years of absence during which he was living in his father-in-law's house. I'm not even aware if his parents know he is still alive, although I'm hoping he managed to message them somehow so they wouldn't worry.

The reaction of Laban upon finding his daughter's grandchildren and Jacob gone without a word is much more typical of modern parent. He pursued them in order to ascertain what hap happened and why no one told him. This reaction seemed much more typical.

I do not like that Rachel, one of his daughters, stole things from Laban's house and then used the fact that she had her period to stop him from discovering the items. Nothing good can ever come from stealing anything, especially not from your parents. I don't care how mad you are or how much you think they have wronged you. And they may have indeed wronged you. It's still a bad thing to do. I found this out when I contemplated (although I never completed this action) stealing my mother's credit card and using it run away to California and pay for the summer I planned to spend there as part of my coming out process. If I had done this in modern times, I would have been arrested by the police. Goodness knows what would have happened in biblical times. Perhaps a beheading. Neither one of those is high on my life to-do lists.

Entry 13 - reading day 11

Genesis 29

Dear Reader,

Once again, I’ve had a long day, but my taxes are finally done. I’m happy to report that my strategy of war tax resistance by receipt keeping worked again and I do not owe the Feds a dime. I’m also pleased that chapter 29 was short as I am again tired.

I was disheartened to see that Jacob kept being rewarded for being deceitful. Although in the end he got his comeuppance because he was first not by his intention married to Lea. Her father thought he should marry her because she was the oldest even though he was in love with the younger sister and had made arrangements to marry her after his seven of servitude to her father.

He then committed to seven more years of servitude so he could also marry Rachel, the younger sister he was in love with. I felt sorry for Lea. First off, she had to share a husband with her sister which is never comfortable I can imagine. Secondly, she had to know the only reason he was her husband in the first place was that her father had tricked her into becoming so. Personally, given those choices I’d rather be alone.

I also think that it’s a bit strange how much polygamy occurs in the bible which most of the modern faithful condemn. I’m not a fan of polygamy myself. I think it tends to be on the whole misogynistic as a lifestyle. I also find it weird that Jacob had apparently went off to seek a wife and served fourteen years as a servant in some strange man’s house without, at least that we are told, getting word to his parents of his situation. I don’t know about you, but if my son went off to find a wife and never came back, I would think something horrible happened to him.

But what was Jacob to do? In those days, they didn’t have the postal service, AT&T, or email. Perhaps also he sent them a message and the writer just didn’t think to write it down.

Entry 12 - reading day 10

Genesis 28

Dear Reader,
I must admit that today I was glad that the chapter was short (less than four minutes on audio book) because honestly I don't think I could have withstood a long chapter. I spent all day at the IRS, the Department of Revenue, or various meetings and I'm at the moment a very tired person. Still, I did not feel I could shirk my agreed upon duty to this blog and my readers.

Nothing much happened in Chapter 28 except that Jacob was (for some reason) afraid of God. The only reason I can think of for him to be afraid is that of being punished for being deceitful to his brother twice. I theorize that he thinks (which is in my opinion not a bad assumption) that God would not endorse this behavior. The other thing I found interesting in the Chapter is that Isaac does not seem to be enthused with his first son's bridal choice. This is the second time this has come up, and I can't see what's wrong with the girl. Nothing has been mentioned so far.

So I'm waiting to see what I'll see. As of right now, I'm going to bed.

Entry 11 - reading day 9

Genesis 27

Dear Reader,

I was horrified to learn that Jacob deceived Esau, for the second time. It was even worse this because Rebeka, the mother of both helped them. Still more problems with having a favorite child. I do not know what happens next, as I have never read these verse. However, I fear it can't be good. As rivalries in the Bible don't end well typically.