Despite my purchase the other week of that gorgeous edition of the KJB, I was still woefully behind on my reading some time later. However, this meant that I ended up powering through large chunks of Genesis in one fell swoop. This, for me, was really good since I've noticed patterns this time through that I've not noticed in the past. I started this post a long time ago too, but am just getting back to it (even though I'm now well into Exodus. Alas. Caught up on one thing, behind on oh so many others).
The thing that stood out most to me in my readings in Genesis was Abram/Abraham's change of heart. He, like myself, and maybe like you too, dear reader, likes to be in control. God promises that He will "make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen 12:2-3).
But then Abram goes off to Egypt and worries that because Sarai "art a fair woman to look upon" (Gen 13:11), he will be killed so that the Pharoah can have her. So, they say that Sarai is his sister. Of course, God just promised to multiply his nation and so one might think that God will also protect Abram and Sarai here. But Abram takes it into his own hands and the Pharaoh pays a price for sleeping with Sarai.
This happens again when Abram goes and sleeps with Hagar, conceiving Ishmael for his heir when he and Sarai refust to believe that God will provide them an heir through Sarai. This reaps consequences for Hagar who is treated harshly by Sarai after she conceives. But, God provides for her, promising here--and again later when she and Ishmael have left Abraham and Sarah and are on the point of death in the desert in Chapter 21)--that he will "multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude" (Gen 16:10).
It keeps on happening (Abraham even does the "she's my sister" schtick again) until God commands him to sacrifice Isaac. To me, this is when that "No, no. Let's do this *my* way" bit would want to really kick in. But instead, "Abraham rose up early in this morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him" (Gen 22:3). He obeys without question. He seems to have reached a point in his relationship with God where he knows: obedience is the way. And, he has faith that God will provide another option, telling Issac, "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Gen 22:8), which, of course, He does.
To me, this change of heart is encouraging. I hope that, like Abraham, my faith and my obedience too will increase over time and that I will learn that my way is not the best way.
The thing that stood out most to me in my readings in Genesis was Abram/Abraham's change of heart. He, like myself, and maybe like you too, dear reader, likes to be in control. God promises that He will "make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen 12:2-3).
But then Abram goes off to Egypt and worries that because Sarai "art a fair woman to look upon" (Gen 13:11), he will be killed so that the Pharoah can have her. So, they say that Sarai is his sister. Of course, God just promised to multiply his nation and so one might think that God will also protect Abram and Sarai here. But Abram takes it into his own hands and the Pharaoh pays a price for sleeping with Sarai.
This happens again when Abram goes and sleeps with Hagar, conceiving Ishmael for his heir when he and Sarai refust to believe that God will provide them an heir through Sarai. This reaps consequences for Hagar who is treated harshly by Sarai after she conceives. But, God provides for her, promising here--and again later when she and Ishmael have left Abraham and Sarah and are on the point of death in the desert in Chapter 21)--that he will "multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude" (Gen 16:10).
It keeps on happening (Abraham even does the "she's my sister" schtick again) until God commands him to sacrifice Isaac. To me, this is when that "No, no. Let's do this *my* way" bit would want to really kick in. But instead, "Abraham rose up early in this morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him" (Gen 22:3). He obeys without question. He seems to have reached a point in his relationship with God where he knows: obedience is the way. And, he has faith that God will provide another option, telling Issac, "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Gen 22:8), which, of course, He does.
To me, this change of heart is encouraging. I hope that, like Abraham, my faith and my obedience too will increase over time and that I will learn that my way is not the best way.
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