Sodom
Yesterday's reading was straight narrative and makes sense. I don't know if I can say that today but that's the only way I know how to describe it.
Two men who went to Sodom were met by Lot at the city gate. He begged them to turn aside, come to his house, let him wash their feet and give them food. Initially they were reluctant but agreed.
That evening, while they were spending the night at Lot's house, the men from the city came and banged on their door. They wanted to sleep with the men but Lot told them, no.
Now here is the first thing that I really do not understand. Lot offered the men their daughters and said they could have their way with them. Really? Did he say that in all sincerity? It makes me wonder! Did Lot understand who was in his presence? Did he know they could rescue him and his family? Where women so worthless back then that in one night he would have given them to be raped and possibly killed?
Today we would question the love that this kind of father had for his daughters. I guess the Bible just tells the story of the way things were. Perhaps Lot had a bit of Sodom corruption but I've seen this scenario in other places in the Bible and even today. Sadly.
There are some people who don't treat women with dignity, respect, or they don't even treat them humanely. We have our problems in this country. We still underpay women what they are worth in the job setting. Human trafficking in this country is on the rise. Spousal abuse is on the rise. Sometimes I wonder if we keep going will it be like Sodom.
The story goes on to say that these men blinded the men of Sodom because they were adamant about sleeping with the visitors.
Lot's Family
Early the next morning the men try to hurry lot and his family out of the city and send them to the mountains. They were so reluctant to leave. Lot try to get his sons-in-law to come but they thought he was joking. Finally the two men had to take Lot's family by the hand and lead them out. They told them don't look back. Lot's wife did and she turned into a pillar of salt. I get that she disobeyed, but I don't get the pillar of salt. Why salt? And why a pillar of salt for disobeying. She never knew she turned into salt but her daughters got to see their mom disappear into a mountain of salt.
Lots begs to go to a city name Zoar. They were too afraid to stay there so they ended up in a cave in the mountains. His daughters thought that since they were away from men they would never have children. So they each took a turn getting their father drunk and slept with him.
This decision ended up raising two nations. The older daughter had a son and named him Moab. They became the Moabites. The second daughter had a son and named him Ben Ami. They became the Amalekites. I am guessing this whole idea of having a son was more important than life itself.
This is a very different culture from what I understand to be normal. Today women and couples choose not to have no children at all. So this act of mothering a son means nothing here in Western culture.
Another Lie from Abraham
So the story goes on and we learned that Abraham moves from the Negev. He moved between Kadesh and Shur. Here we discover a man named Abimelek. Abraham once again tells folks that Sarah is his sister. So Abimelek takes her into his home. God appeared to him in a dream and said if you touch her, you and everybody in your household will die.
Abimelek says, "Abraham said that she is my sister."
God says, "true but I am telling you so now you know."
Abimelek fusses at Abraham and Abraham explains that he and Sarah have this agreement. Whenever they go to a new place he tells her to say that we are brothers and sisters so that people won't kill Abraham.
Abimelek gives Sarah one thousand coins, gives Abraham sheep and goats and wants to be at peace with him. We also learned in this passage that God tells Abimelek that Abraham is a prophet. I can't remember if I saw this somewhere else.
Isaac & Ishmael
A year later Isaac was born. When Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
Sometime later, Sarah was planning a celebration for Isaac and Ishmael was mocking him. Sarah said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He will not share in the inheritance of Isaac."
This distressed Abraham because Ishmael was his son. God told Abraham to do what Sarah told him to do because Isaac was the one to carry the inheritance, not Ishmael.
The household must have been very tense at that time. Hagar must've been a strong willed woman who was an Achilles' heel for Sarah. I guess Sarah reached an all time high of intolerance.
None of this was fair for Isaac or Ishmael but it had to be because this is God's story and this is how it goes. This concept is strange but this is what I am getting when I read about the unfairness in the Old Testament stories.
The next morning Abraham gives Hagar and Ishmael food and a skin of water. Hagar wanders around in the desert of Beersheba. They run out of water and Hagar puts her son under a bush and moves away. She cannot witness him dying from the lack of water.
An angel/God comes to her and wants to know what's wrong. God tells her not to be afraid; he is going to make Ishmael into a great nation. God opened her eyes and she saw a well and she gave Ishmael something to drink. God watched over Ishmael and he became a great archer. His mother got him a wife from Egypt.
The Covenant
In the meantime Abimelek made a covenant with Abraham. There were some disputes over water wells but they seem to settle it and made an agreement. Abimelek wanted Abraham to show him the same kindness that he showed to Abraham.
To close this chapter, the writer says that Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba.
My Thoughts
I feel blessed to live in the western culture where women are respected. One kind of wishes that Hagar and Sarah got along; but they didn't. This put Hagar at a disadvantage. When Ishmael and Hagar got on Sarah's nerves, she was dismissed in less than 24 hours with no benefits or no way to take care of herself.
It is interesting to note, the stories of the patriarchs have a lots of drama and tragedies. The outcome of brothers that share the same blood is a tragic one. They could have grown up together, caring and loving for one another; but that is not God's story.
I know the enemy of our souls also plays a role in making difficulties happen. In spite of these difficulties God's story is still told. Unfortunately, the story is a broken one. And today, that story for each of us has not changed.
That's it for today.
Yesterday's reading was straight narrative and makes sense. I don't know if I can say that today but that's the only way I know how to describe it.
Two men who went to Sodom were met by Lot at the city gate. He begged them to turn aside, come to his house, let him wash their feet and give them food. Initially they were reluctant but agreed.
That evening, while they were spending the night at Lot's house, the men from the city came and banged on their door. They wanted to sleep with the men but Lot told them, no.
Now here is the first thing that I really do not understand. Lot offered the men their daughters and said they could have their way with them. Really? Did he say that in all sincerity? It makes me wonder! Did Lot understand who was in his presence? Did he know they could rescue him and his family? Where women so worthless back then that in one night he would have given them to be raped and possibly killed?
Today we would question the love that this kind of father had for his daughters. I guess the Bible just tells the story of the way things were. Perhaps Lot had a bit of Sodom corruption but I've seen this scenario in other places in the Bible and even today. Sadly.
There are some people who don't treat women with dignity, respect, or they don't even treat them humanely. We have our problems in this country. We still underpay women what they are worth in the job setting. Human trafficking in this country is on the rise. Spousal abuse is on the rise. Sometimes I wonder if we keep going will it be like Sodom.
The story goes on to say that these men blinded the men of Sodom because they were adamant about sleeping with the visitors.
Lot's Family
Early the next morning the men try to hurry lot and his family out of the city and send them to the mountains. They were so reluctant to leave. Lot try to get his sons-in-law to come but they thought he was joking. Finally the two men had to take Lot's family by the hand and lead them out. They told them don't look back. Lot's wife did and she turned into a pillar of salt. I get that she disobeyed, but I don't get the pillar of salt. Why salt? And why a pillar of salt for disobeying. She never knew she turned into salt but her daughters got to see their mom disappear into a mountain of salt.
Lots begs to go to a city name Zoar. They were too afraid to stay there so they ended up in a cave in the mountains. His daughters thought that since they were away from men they would never have children. So they each took a turn getting their father drunk and slept with him.
This decision ended up raising two nations. The older daughter had a son and named him Moab. They became the Moabites. The second daughter had a son and named him Ben Ami. They became the Amalekites. I am guessing this whole idea of having a son was more important than life itself.
This is a very different culture from what I understand to be normal. Today women and couples choose not to have no children at all. So this act of mothering a son means nothing here in Western culture.
Another Lie from Abraham
So the story goes on and we learned that Abraham moves from the Negev. He moved between Kadesh and Shur. Here we discover a man named Abimelek. Abraham once again tells folks that Sarah is his sister. So Abimelek takes her into his home. God appeared to him in a dream and said if you touch her, you and everybody in your household will die.
Abimelek says, "Abraham said that she is my sister."
God says, "true but I am telling you so now you know."
Abimelek fusses at Abraham and Abraham explains that he and Sarah have this agreement. Whenever they go to a new place he tells her to say that we are brothers and sisters so that people won't kill Abraham.
Abimelek gives Sarah one thousand coins, gives Abraham sheep and goats and wants to be at peace with him. We also learned in this passage that God tells Abimelek that Abraham is a prophet. I can't remember if I saw this somewhere else.
Isaac & Ishmael
A year later Isaac was born. When Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
Sometime later, Sarah was planning a celebration for Isaac and Ishmael was mocking him. Sarah said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He will not share in the inheritance of Isaac."
This distressed Abraham because Ishmael was his son. God told Abraham to do what Sarah told him to do because Isaac was the one to carry the inheritance, not Ishmael.
The household must have been very tense at that time. Hagar must've been a strong willed woman who was an Achilles' heel for Sarah. I guess Sarah reached an all time high of intolerance.
None of this was fair for Isaac or Ishmael but it had to be because this is God's story and this is how it goes. This concept is strange but this is what I am getting when I read about the unfairness in the Old Testament stories.
The next morning Abraham gives Hagar and Ishmael food and a skin of water. Hagar wanders around in the desert of Beersheba. They run out of water and Hagar puts her son under a bush and moves away. She cannot witness him dying from the lack of water.
An angel/God comes to her and wants to know what's wrong. God tells her not to be afraid; he is going to make Ishmael into a great nation. God opened her eyes and she saw a well and she gave Ishmael something to drink. God watched over Ishmael and he became a great archer. His mother got him a wife from Egypt.
The Covenant
In the meantime Abimelek made a covenant with Abraham. There were some disputes over water wells but they seem to settle it and made an agreement. Abimelek wanted Abraham to show him the same kindness that he showed to Abraham.
To close this chapter, the writer says that Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba.
My Thoughts
I feel blessed to live in the western culture where women are respected. One kind of wishes that Hagar and Sarah got along; but they didn't. This put Hagar at a disadvantage. When Ishmael and Hagar got on Sarah's nerves, she was dismissed in less than 24 hours with no benefits or no way to take care of herself.
It is interesting to note, the stories of the patriarchs have a lots of drama and tragedies. The outcome of brothers that share the same blood is a tragic one. They could have grown up together, caring and loving for one another; but that is not God's story.
I know the enemy of our souls also plays a role in making difficulties happen. In spite of these difficulties God's story is still told. Unfortunately, the story is a broken one. And today, that story for each of us has not changed.
That's it for today.
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