~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 35 (part 2) (reading below lesson)
1) Firstly, we're going to skip the Rape of Dinah and the aftereffects. One, because it only deals tangentially with Jacob; two, it does not affect the flow of the story; and three, because it has been brought together in its present form from three different sources, which requires much tedious explanation. 2) Bethel (different from Bethlehem, which will be important later) has played an important part in almost every section of Genesis. The patriarchs at one time or another stopped at Bethel: Abraham built and altar between Bethel and Ai; Jacob had a dream at Bethel and set up stones to mark the place. Later, during the period in which much of Israel gets involved in idolatry, Bethel will be one of the “high places” at which they worship foreign gods. 3) Jacob deals with two hard events within a short time: the death of his beloved wife Rachel, and the death of his father. The Bible does not say how he reacted to these events, but we, as fellow humans, can imagine the devastation he must have felt. It is important that Esau helped him bury his father. It seems that the disagreements between them are long in the past. Question: Can you think of a time in the past in which having someone’s forgiveness would have meant a lot to you? Can you think of a time in the past in which YOUR forgiveness would have probably meant a lot to another person? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 35- The death of Rachel and Isaac (16-20) Then they departed from Bethel: but while they still had some distance to go on the way to Ephrath, Rachel began to be in labor and to suffer great distress. When her pangs were most sever, her mid-wife said to her, "Have no fear! This time, too, you will have a son." With her last breath- for she was at the point of death- she called him Ben-oni [meaning: son of my affliction]; his father, however, named him Benjamin [meaning: son of my right hand or son of good fortune]. Thus Rachel died; and she was buried on the road to Ephrath [that is, Bethlehem]. Jacob set up a memorial stone on her grave, and the same monument marks Rachel's grave to this day. (27-29) Jacob went home to his father Isaac at Mamre, in Kiriath-arba [that is, Hebron], where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. The lifetime of Isaac was one hundred and eighty years; then he breathed his last. After a full life, he died as an old man and was taken to his kinsmen. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
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~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 35 (part 1) (reading below lesson)
Joseph was Jacob's favorite; there is no doubt about that. It was common in ancient societies for daughter's to be "overlooked" or simply not counted in stories. But Jacob had 12 sons: why is Joseph his favorite? Question: Is it a personal preference for Joseph's character, Jacob's enduring love for Rachel, or maybe the hand of God guiding Jacob? What do you think? The next point is one that we have hit frequently in the past and will again in the future: God can take our sinful actions and turn them to good. In the long run, Joseph being sold into Egypt is good. (Not to ruin the story, but I'm sure you've all heard it already, ha-ha)....Joseph's high position allows him to save the family from the famine. There is also a curious doubling in this story as we will go along. Joseph has two dreams before going to Egypt. Two journeys, two dreams while he is in jail. For today, what about this story strikes you the strongest? Why? ~Reading: Genesis 35: Joseph Sold Into Slavery (1-4) Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is his family history. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flocks with his brothers; he was an assistant to the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought his father bad reports about them. Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him. (17-28) The man told him, "They [Joseph's brothers] have moved on from here; in fact, I heard them say, 'Let us go on to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan. They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another, "Here comes that master dreamer [for Joseph had prophetic dreams]! Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall see them what comes of his dreams." When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying, "We must not take his life. Instead of shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but don't kill him outright." His purpose was to rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on; then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry. They then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm, and resin to be taken down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood? Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, chapter 32 (part 2) (reading below lesson)
Jacob wrestling with the angel is often believed to have been added to the story of Jacob and his family later than the rest of the writings. It is also believed to be more of a metaphor than an actual event in the life of Jacob. There are, of course, those who believe it to be a literal event. This story has a threefold meaning. 1) The source of the name Israel for both Jacob and the nation. “Israel: the first part of the Hebrew name Yisrael is given a popular explanation in the word sarita, ‘you contended’; the second part is the first syllable of elohim, ‘divine beings’” (notes from New American Bible). 2) The source of the name for the town/area: Peniel, which means “face of God.” (Also written in some translations at Penuel). 3) The source of the prohibition on eating the sinew or tendon of the thigh (exact translation isn’t known). This prohibition is NOT found in the later dietary laws- it harkens back to this story. Question: Do you believe this story is a literal explanation of events or an allegory? Why? Of the three meanings, which one(s) do you subscribe to? Or all of them? Why? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 32 (part 2) (23-33) In the course of that night, however, Jacob arose, took his two wives, with the two maidservants and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had taken them across the stream and had brought over all his possessions, Jacob was left their alone. Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When the man saw that he could not prevail over him, he struck Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled. The man then said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go until you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. He answered, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel, because you have contended with divine and human beings and have prevailed.” Jacob then asked him, “Do tell me your name, please.” He answered, “Why should you want to know my name?” With that, he bade him farewell. Jacob named the place Peniel, “Because I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.” At sunrise, as he left Penuel, Jacob limped along because of his hip. That is why, to this day, the Israelites do not eat the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket, inasmuch as Jacob’s hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle. ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapters 32-34 (reading below lesson)
The section that describes Jacob's anticipation of meeting Esau, and his preparations are almost humorous. Clearly, Esau had become a man of his own right during the twenty years that Jacob was gone. The loss of his inheritance didn’t have a lasting ill effect on his fortunes. Yet Jacob is still afraid that Esau is going to kill him. Jacob sends forth cattle, servants, and prostrates himself on the ground when Esau appears. Even the words from the servants that Esau is coming "with 400 men" do NOT imply threat; it depends on interpretation. One could just as well assume that Esau is coming with a large party to honor Jacob and prepare a banquet to celebrate his return. Instead, Jacob assumes Esau is coming with 400 men to kill him. Esau runs to Jacob, kisses him, and weeps. How opposite of what Jacob expected! Jacob had been promised by God that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars and his descendants would inhabit Canaan- yet he fears death for his whole family from Esau! Is Jacob showing lack of faith here? Esau greets his brother with tears and happiness, when his brother expected to be killed. Are we sometimes expecting the worst? Does God surprise us by blessing us during those times? Jacob is re-named Israel at about this point in his life. Is there a time in your life in which a situation has so changed you that felt, when it was over, you had been "renamed"? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapters 32-34 (except Jacob’s wrestling w/ angel) We covered Jacob and his family's flight from Laban. Jacob is now headed back to his homeland, where his father Isaac and his brother Esau still lived. As you remember, Jacob "stole" Esau's birthright before he left, leaving Esau with much anger towards Jacob. Now, heading home, Jacob is worried that he is in danger, fearing Esau wishes to kill him. (32:4-8) Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, with this message: "Thus shall you say to my lord Esau: 'Your servant jacob speaks as follows: I have been staying with Laban and have been detained there until now. I own cattle, asses and sheep, as well as male and female servants. I am sending my lord this information in the hope of gaining your favor.'" When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, "We reached your brother Esau. He is now coming to meet you, accompanied by four hundred men." Jacob was very much frightened. In his anxiety, he divided the people who were with him, as well as his flocks, herds, and camels, into two camps. -----Jacob then sends three sets of servants out with cattle as gifts. (33:3-4) He himself [Jacob] went on ahead of them, bowing to the ground seven times, until he reached his brother. Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, and flinging himself on his neck, kissed him as he wept. -----Jacob then gives Esau the many gifts he sent, over Esau's protests. He refuses Esau's offer to have his 400 men help drive the animals. Esau heads off to his own land, Edom, with his men. Jacob goes on to Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, and sets up a home for himself there and booths for the cattle. ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 30 (reading below lesson)
For a chapter of the bible that is basically a genealogy, there is a lot of discussion material. We have two sisters married to the same man, the elder sister not as pretty and not as loved. God responds by giving her children and striking the beautiful, loved sister barren. In desperation, she offers her servant (an acceptable, if not common practice) in order to have "children". Leah stops bearing children and follows Rachel's step of giving her husband her servant. Rachel bargains away a night with Jacob for some mandrakes (which were thought to help conception both in ancient times up through the middle ages) and Leah has MORE children. At last, Rachel's prayer is answered and she gives birth to a son, who becomes his father's favorite. Does Rachel deserve to be struck barren? Is maybe her behavior towards Leah unfriendly...does she take advantage of her being the "loved" and "beautiful one"? Is the use of mandrakes to induce pregnancy all right? Rachel did show fortitude in keeping praying to God all those years for a son? Is that why God rewarded her? Were her prayers heartfelt or simply desperate? Reading: Genesis, Chapter 30 Jacob's children are vitally important as they go on to become the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob will later take the name Israel before he dies. Jacob, as you remember has two wives, Leah and Rachel. In addition, Leah has a servant, Zilpah, and Rachel has a servant, Bilhah. I will pick selected lines out of this section, as it is a long section. If the line starts with '-----' that is ME writing, NOT the bible Genesis 29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he made her fruitful, while Rachel remained barren. -----Leah then bore Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Genesis 30:1-3 When Rachel saw that she failed to bear children to jacob, she became envious of her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children or I shall die!" In anger, Jacob retorted, "Can I take the place of God, who has denied you the fruit of the womb?" She replied, "Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Have intercourse with her, and let her give birth on my knees, so that I may have offspring, at least through her." -----Bilhah bore Dan and Naphtali. When Leah saw that she wasn't having more children yet, she gave Jacob HER maidservant, Zilpah. Zilpah bore Gad and Asher. Genesis 30:14-15 One day, during the wheat harvest, when Reuben was out in the field, he came upon some mandrakes which he brought home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Head, "Please let me have some of your son's mandrakes." Leah replied, "Was it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you must now take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well, then!" Rachel answered. "In exchange for your son's mandrakes, Jacob may lie with you tonight." ----Leah then gave birth to Issachar, and later to Zebulun, and then to a daughter Dinah. Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel; he heard her prayer and made her fruitful. -----Rachel gave birth to Joseph. Years later, right before her death, she will birth to second son, Benjamin. ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 29-31 (reading below lesson)
There is almost an element of irony in this story. Jacob, who usurped his brother's birthright, is tricked by Laban into marrying the wrong woman. And Laban gives him the reply: it is tradition for the eldest to marry first. Laban is tricky and cunning throughout his entire relationship with Jacob. However, it all works out according to God's will. Between Jacob's two wives and their two maidservants, Jacob will have a total of 12 children....the 12 tribes of Israel. Can you think of something you or someone else has done that God has turned for the better? ~Reading Genesis: 29:14-30 [Jacob's brother Esau married a Canaanite woman, displeasing his parents. Isaac sends Jacob back to the homeland of his mother Rebekkah, to find a wife among their people.] (14-30)...and Laban [Jacob's uncle] said to him, "You are indeed my flesh and blood." After Jacob had stayed with him a full month, Laban said to him: "Should you serve me for nothing just because you are a relative of mine? Tell me what your wages should be." Now Laban had two daughters; the older was called Leah, the younger Rachel. Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was well formed and beautiful. Since Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, he answered Laban, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." Laban replied, "I prefer to give her to you rather than to an outsider. Stay with me." So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, that I may consummate my marriage with her, for my term is now completed." So Laban invited all the local inhabitants and gave a feast. At the nightfall he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob consummated the marriage with her. (Laban assigned his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.) In the morning Jacob was amazed: it was Leah! So he cried out to Laban: "How could you do this to me! Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why did you dupe me?" "It is not the custom in our country," Laban replied, "to marry off a younger daughter before an older one. Finish the bridal week for this one, and then I will give you the other too, in return for another seven years of service with me." Jacob agreed. He finished the bridal week for Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel in marriage. (Laban assigned his slave girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.) Jacob then consummated his marriage with Rachel also, and he loved her more than Leah. Thus he remained in Laban's service another seven years. paraphrase: Chapters 30 & 31: After the fourteen years of service, Jacob works six more years for his share of the livestock. Laban keeps changing his wages, though, trying to cheat him at every turn. Jacob finally takes his wives, children, and livestock, and flees back home. Laban catches up with him, but had been warned in a dream not to harm Jacob. Jacob upbraided Laban about all of the offenses Laban had committed against him: cheating him out of his first choice as wife, having Laban's sons take off with the livestock that should have belonged to Jacob, changing Jacob's wages at his whim. Laban gave in, and sent forth Jacob, his wives, his children, and his livestock in peace. ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 27 (reading below lesson)
The story of Jacob "stealing" Esau's blessing is almost light-hearted....a kid dressed up in his older brother's clothes before his blind father doing what his mother commands. There is also the fact that there is no ethical judgment in the story. Nowhere later in Chapter 27 does God come down and curse Jacob for stealing his Father's blessing. In fact, it had been prophesized before Jacob and Esau's birth that despite being the younger son, he would be the one to inherit (wealth, a long line of family, service from his brother). In ancient Israel, the eldest brother received a double share of the inheritance, the rest of the brothers received a single share. So, do you think Rebekah's actions were simply desire for her favorite son to inherit? Or where her actions maybe there were a way for Jacob to fulfill God's command of receiving the "older brother's" share of the inheritance? Do you think Rebekah's actions were ethically wrong...and why do you think that? ~Reading: Chapter 27: 5-13, 26-29 (5-13) Rebekah has been listening while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau. So when Esau went out into the country to hunt some game for his father, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Listen! I overhead your father tell your brother Esau, 'Bring me some game and with it prepare an appetizing dish for me to eat, that I may give you my blessing with the Lord's approval before I die.' Now son, listen carefully to what I tell you. Go to the flock and get me two choice kids. With these I will prepare an appetizing dish for your father, such as he likes. Then bring it to your father to eat, that he may bless you before he dies." "But my brother Esau is a hairy man," said Jacob to his mother Rebekah, "and I am smooth-skinned!" Suppose my father feels me? He will think I am making sport of him, and I shall bring on myself a curse instead of a blessing." His mother, however, replied: "Let any curse against you, son, fall on me! Just do as I say. Go and get the kids." (26-29) Finally his father Isaac said to him, "Come closer, son, and kiss me." As Jacob went up and kissed him, Isaac smelled the fragrance of his clothes [he was wearing Esau's clothing so as to trick his father]. With that, he blessed him, saying, "Ah, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field that the Lord has blessed! May give to you of the dew of the heavens And of the fertility of the earth abundance of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations pay you homage; Be master of your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Curse be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you." ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, chapters 21-26 (reading below lesson)
God is all-knowing and all-seeing. Therefore, why would he test Abraham? He already knows that Abraham is going to "pass" the test. When Abraham goes to kill his son, the one he has so longed for, and the only true son of his wife (his other son is by a servant), he is showing total trust in God. God already knew this was going to happen, though. So, one can assume that the "test" is for Abraham's sake. When the angel stops Abraham and acknowledges his faith, God also provides a different holocaust. “Abraham has finally learned to give up control over his own life that he might receive it as a grace.” (last sentence direct from St. Jerome’s commentary) What do you think that sentence means? How can you apply it to your life? ~Reading: Genesis, Chapters 21-26: The Story of Isaac (22: 6-12) Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulder, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham: "Father!" he said. "Yes, son," he replied. Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?" "Son," Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust." Then the two continued going forward. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an alter there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the alter. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the Lord's messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. "Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son." The second major event in Isaac’s life is the choosing of his bride. Read Chapter 24 for the entire story, if you like. In summary, God leads the servant of Abraham to find the bride for Isaac. Her name is Rebekah, and she becomes the mother of Jacob (and Esau), the mother of Israel. (25:19-26) This is the family history of Isaac, son of Abraham; Abraham had begotten Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac entreated the Lord on behalf of his wife, since she was sterile. The heard his entreaty, and Rebekah became pregnant. But the children in her womb jostled each other so much that she exclaimed, "If this is to be so, what good will it do me!" She went to consult the Lord and he answered her: "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples are quarreling while still within you; but one shall surpass the other, and the older shall serve the younger." When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb. The first to emerge was reddish, and his whole body was like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. His brother came out next, gripping Esau's heel; so they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.” **Note for those interested: Esau (in original language) may mean hairy; he was also called Edom, which means red. Jacob means "he grasps the heel" or figuratively "he deceives" ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis 11-20 (reading below lesson)
The first section of the reading was about Abraham's journey. Reading it in the cold, factual terms of the bible doesn't really do justice to what occurred. Imagine, then, there are no cars. Travelling means walking slowly, making sure all of the cattle and sheep are keeping up and none wander. Stopping for the night means having to find a well where water can be obtained and sleeping on the ground. There are no baths, no nice hotels, and certainly no restaurants. Imagine traveling that way....now, click on the following link and see how far they had to travel: www.biblestudy.org/maps/abrajrfl.html The second part of the reading is about Abram's first born son, whom is born by the maid of his wife. Her name is Hagar, the son becomes known as Ishmael. Eventually, Sarai will force Hagar and Ishmael out of her house and into the desert. As God promised, Ishmael became the father of a nation. In the year 700 A.D., a prophet called Mohammad would bring all of the descendants of Ishmael together, and re-instate the worship of one God, called the God of Abraham, also called Allah. Okay, deep breath, everyone.....yes, the above statement is true and even mentioned once in awhile in the media. Despite the "your God, my God" arguments, Jews, Christians, and Muslims are all worshipping "the God of Abraham”. Questions to answer: What would you miss most if you had to travel as they did in the “old days”? Do you think it is important that the Jews, Christians, and Muslims all worship the God of Abraham? Why or why not? ~Reading: Genesis 11-20: The Story of Abraham (I am only going to cover the “big” points, otherwise we’ll be working on Genesis for the next month!) (11:31-12:9) Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and brought them out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to go to the land of Canaan. But when they reached Haran, they settled there. The lifetime of Terah was two hundred and five years; then Terah died in Haran. The Lord said to Abram: "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the Earth shall find blessing in you." Abram went as the Lord directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai, his brother's son Lot, all the possessions that they had accumulated, and the persons they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land as far as the sacred place at Shechem, by the terebinth of Mareh (The Canaanites were then in the land). The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So Abram built an alter there to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel, pitching his tent will Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an alter there to the Lord and invoked the Lord by his name then Abram Journeyed on by stages to the Negeb. There was famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to Sojourn there, since the famine in the land was severe. (16:1-2) Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children. She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram: "The Lord has kept me from bearing children. Have intercourse, then, with my maid; perhaps I shall have sons through her." Abram heeded Sarai's request. (16:8-11) …and he [messenger of God] asked, "Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She answered, "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai." But the Lord's messenger told her: "Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment. I will make your descendants so numerous," added the Lord's messenger "that they will be too many to count. Besides," the Lord's messenger said to her: "You are now pregnant and shall bear a son; you shall name him Ishmael, For the Lord has heard you, God has answered you." (Before chapter 21, Abram attempted to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah, but could not find even ten righteous men, so the Lord destroyed the cities.) ~~~~~Lesson: The Tower of Babel
1) Temples in Mesopotamia at the time were built in an “upward” pattern with temple towers (or ziggurats). Babel, in this case, is a reference to the origin of the name of the city Babylon. 2) There is debate over what the exact meaning of the people “building a tower” is. *It refers to the actual building of temples to gods that are false. *It is a symbolic representation of man’s growing evil. *The story is simply a unique way of explaining the multiple languages spoken by men. *Or combination of the above. Question: Which of the “meanings” do you subscribe to? ~Reading: Genesis 11:1-9- The Tower of Babel (1-9) The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words. While men were migrating in the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, "Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire." They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth." The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men had built. Then the Lord said: "If now, while they are one people, all speaking the same language, they have started to do this, nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do. Let us then go down and there confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says." Thus the Lord scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the speech of all the world. It was from that place that he scattered them all over the Earth. |
Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
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Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
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I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
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