Genesis 25 and 26.

Picture from: http://identity33.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/genesis4.gif


In these two chapters, Chapter 25 and 26, we can see some of the lines that can indicate the beginning of the western culture. One is mentioned in Genesis 25: 10, “The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.” From this line, we can say that the custom of burying people near their beloved one has already developed. Not surprisingly, in Japan too, people prefer to be buried in the same place as their partner. This is probably because most people in Japan believe in after life and reincarnation. But in the bible, I believe it is the first time that it mentions about something that can indicate the thought about after life. I mean, if they believed that your spirit will just evaporate after you die, they wouldn’t endeavor to be buried in the same place. That means, they at least believe that there will be something after death.

Another thing I found is in Genesis 25: 23:
“And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.”
This indicates, the necessity of difference. But why did the god wanted to make a difference? Not as diversity but as strong and weak? Is it to bring order in the society? To bring relationship of master and servant in the community? Later on in the Bible, it doesn’t say anything for me to be able to narrow down my answers. Also from Genesis 26: 3:
“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;”
We can see that the tradition of inheritance has already been a tradition.

A different thing that I noticed, not about customs, is the tendency of humans. The tendency of repeating things. For example in Genesis 25: 27, “And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.” It’s like Cain and his brother, being agriculturist and hunter. Another example is in Genesis 26: 9 and 10:
“And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.”
Isaac is doing the same thing as his father, Abraham, did.

To Mr. Tangen

I have editted the blog entry with the title of "The list of names and their ages was odd."

Oh Lord God...

In these chapters, several different events have happened. The punishment to a town, the sacrifice of Abraham, and the born of nations. But they have one thing in common. It shows how LORD God, is becoming more human-like. The first one appears in chapter 17, “Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.” By making exceptions, by choosing favorites, he is being more near attachments. (and I also discovered that this was why priests in some church can’t get married. Not only to be pure, but because of the story of Abraham.) What he has produced out of his attachment is inequality. We can see that through chapter 18, “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five?” He has also corrupted Abraham, “Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.” (ch.20) I mean, it actually says it in chapter 22, “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

I got quite sleepy while reading this.

After Chapter 10 in Genesis, LORD God is becoming more attached. We can see it from Chapter 13, “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” He acts based on his preferences, he is choosing out of likeness. What is it that it’s making him become more human like? First of all, why did he plant the tree of knowledge on earth, if he knew that the humans were greedy and unpredictable sometimes? Expectations for someone, is a sign for emotions, for feelings. By making his likeness into something real, or at least, physically real, did His feelings evoke? I would need to read more carefully in order to find out the answer.

Since now on humorous poem is my biggest enemy.

Inspiration vs Laziness



The elder god of inspiration is not with me
However the great god of laziness is with me.

The relationship between me and the lazy-god
is just like Adam from The Sistine Chapel and god

Strong but invisible like a mighty department
But it’s not good at all since it’s full of attachment

The list of names and their ages was odd.

For this reading response I would like to make some connections with other literature I have read or saw. Well, the first book it came up to my mind was Ishmael. I remember Daniel Quinn made some references with the story of Adams and Eve, and the sons of them. Now that I know who they are and what their role is, I understand what Ishmael was talking about better. So, Adams and Eve are more or less the parents of the human race. And the sons are our ancestors. Cain, the agriculturist, sounds more a like to us.

The story of Noah and his boat is so famous that many authors incorporate it now-a-days into their stories. In one of the Japanese anime, it used it as an analogy to say that the world is unfair. One of the characters who were a homosexual said that only couples of man and woman had the right to go on to the Noah’s boat and people like him couldn’t go. He said that the world is unfair just like that. As you can see in Genesis chapter 7 verse 2, “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.” Which I think it’s a unique way of looking at the story of Noah. Well, it is not exactly unfair that only couples can go in because there is a reason to it, the purpose to be able to breed. But it is surely not equal, when talking about rights. Oh well, I enjoy unique thinking. Talking about unfairness, one of the ways to control people is by fear. In this case, the fear of being punished for the community you live. People will peer pressure the ones that will cause the punishment, and in that way, there will be organization in the society.

Questions, questions, questions. My mind has overflooded.

Among all the things mentioned in Genesis Chapter 1, there are two things that are odd from the others. The darkness and water which were first mentioned in line 2. These two are the only things that God hasn’t created by himself. They are the only subsistence that existed when God was still a “Spirit of God” as said in Gen. 1 line 2. Later on in the chapter, God is trying to conquer or rather control the darkness and water with his creations, “…and God divided the light from the darkness.” (Gen. 1 line 4), “And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness” (Gen 1. line 18), “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” (Gen.1 line 6) But I ended up asking myself, why was darkness and water the chosen ones to be the existence that God hasn’t created? Why didn’t the author of the bible say God also created darkness and water? The only possible answer I could come up with was because he feared it. Because men, or the humans, fear for the things we can’t see, for things we can’t even have the feeling that we are “controlling” them.

Now that we have a guess on why darkness and water have existed before God, one of our next questions is why were we, I mean by humans, created last? Is it because God wanted to prepare the perfect stage for our show time? Genesis Chapter 1 says we were the only creatures made out from God’s taste or likeness. It says that we were born to conquer the world God has made. However, LORD God doesn’t want Adams to gain the knowledge of good and evil. Does this mean he wants us to “subdue” the world he made without knowing what is good and evil? What is the purpose of doing so? Just to see a evolution? A unknown development? I think that there is not enough information to jump into conclusions, so I would wait and see what will come out in the next several chapters.