Genesis has been written.
These 50 chapters have covered so much ground; the creation of the world, the annihilation of almost all of mankind, the introduction of sin, first jealousy, first love, incredible journeys and the constancy of man’s dependency on God.
The worst of men have succeeded when God’s grace was bestowed upon them, though the costs of his grace have been on occasion steep. And the best of men have found themselves in nearly unbearable circumstances.
Here we are now, the nation of Israel in a strange land, holding onto the great promise of God. It’s unfair I know they are staring in the face of an exodus, when Genesis ends with their relative comfort. But that’s how history works; I get only a glimpse, but my glimpses are of a story that’s already been completed. So while Joseph’s brothers may know the fuller story, they and their families end this chapter of their lives with little idea of the struggles to come.

Read Genesis 40
Wrongful imprisonment must be terrible. But even worse would be false conviction stemming from righteous action. Writing today’s chapter, I was reminded of the Shawshank Redemption; A story about two imprisoned men finding solace and redemption in jail. Like Andy Dufresne, Shawshank’s main character, Joseph rapidly earns privileges while in jail. Both are wrongly convicted, and must contend with their certain resentment for the unfairness of their respective incarcerations. But where Defresne’s redemption is based on his own patience and wisdom, Joseph’s coming redemption stems from his almost-brazen assumption that God will deliver:

Joseph said, “Don’t interpretations come from God? Tell me the dreams.”

His reckless confidence lead to a perfect interpretation of the cupbearer and baker’s dreams. There’s no evidence Joseph had interpreted before - in fact his quote leads me to think he never had. But his certainty in God’s provisions is so great.

I wonder where my confidence is. Is it from myself, my past success or does it stem from a sense that God can perfectly deliver? (That, of course, presumes confidence which is a whole separate discussion.)

What Joseph did - assuming God would come through on something like interpreting a dream - could be characterized as foolish. But it would certainly be foolish to presume God’s ability suffer the same marginal cap as my own, and I think I’d prefer to fail in the face of possibility of success than in the face of sure doom.

Fleeing the land that God has revealed as your home did not work so well for Abram, so God is kind to Isaac and spells it out; Stay put! But unfortunately he didn’t also spell out that it never worked out so well for Abraham to pretend his wife, Sarah, was his sister. So Isaac felt he was in the clear on that, and went to task. Fortunately Abimelech saw “Isaac fondling his wife Rebekah” and was wise. Of course, this is the same Abimelech that Abraham tried to dupe into believing Sarah was his daughter so I’m guessing was he at least a shade doubtful of Isaac’s story in the first place.
Abimelech is right to be angry, and points out just how selfish Isaac was. I think that’s been the root of so many of my frustrations with Abraham too. Interesting how the failures of the father echo so loudly in the son.
God’s grace continues to land on Isaac and a resentment grew in Abimelech’s people. I wonder if it was at least in part the sort of resentment that comes from witnessing a hypocrite at work. The reconciliation between Isaac and Abimelech reinforces that view: this was not an apology, per se. More a recognition that God’s side is the right side, even when the wrong people seem to be on it. Kind of a ‘the friend of my God is my friend, even if he’s my enemy’ sort of proposition. Credit to Abimelech and company for again displaying the maturity I typically associate with God’s team (again, my deficiencies coloring my view of earned favor) and Isaac for accepting their peace offerings.
Thoughts on Genesis 26?

What is going on between brothers bartering over a simple meal with such steep costs? People sure were dramatic then. Hyperbole (“I’m starved”) leads to ransom (“my stew for your birthright”) leads to a rash promise, bound into an oath. There are some strange sibling dynamics at work.
I do appreciate that Rebekah turned to God during her strange pregnancy. An odd characteristic is the tendency so often that figures had to ignore God until he overwhelmed them into corrected focus.
As for Abraham, he married again, had more kids and finally died. I’m not sure the circumstances, but I appreciate that Isaac and Ishmael buried him together. Thought time and time again family doesn’t work out quite the way I would expect (see: Cain and Abel; Lot and his daughters; etc) it seems good that the loss of their father would bring together two men pitted as antagonists through their mothers and children.
Thoughts?

I’ve wondered for some time (chapters, really) about my long-held belief that Genesis followed the lonely thread of solitary believers moving toward the foundation of Israel. But here Abraham’s servant prays to God in an apparently faithful manner, then finds Abraham’s extended family also praising God. Factoring in Melchizedek, I am beginning to read this book more as a story of God and those he particularly bestowed grace upon. Perhaps there were a multitude of other believers, or perhaps they were few, but God bestowed his favor upon Abraham and Isaac and Noah and Adam.

Abraham’s servant prayed for that grace and received it in the speedy acquaintance with Rebekah. It was evident from the pace he moved with her family that he was ready to return, and I wonder what Rebekah was thinking when she echoed his eagerness to head to Isaac. Perhaps it was just the natural desire to begin the next chapter of life when you see life moving forward.

This chapter took nearly two hours to write. It’s the first time I’ve crossed the threshold of 10% of my waking day in writing the word by hand.

Thoughts on chapter 24?

“Prince of God”—pretty sweet designation. I think “prince” is so apt in Abraham’s story, because if there’s anything reinforced it’s that Abraham’s righteousness and status with God are given, not earned.
While he seems to often to lack in some of the more basic tenets of morality, he’s always had a savvy head on his shoulders. I appreciate his pragmatic bent in ensuring the purchase of the grave takes place in front of the whole Hittite council, and that he paid in full. I think he ensured the land would stay his by appealing to their system of commerce and law.

I’ve heard this story so many times, but I’ve never considered that when Isaac asked Abraham where the sacrifice was, Abraham was actually right. He said God would provide a sheep and God did. I don’t know if he was expecting God to stay his hand the whole time, or misleading Isaac only to see God prove Abraham correct. But to Isaac that must have been enormous. Tied on the wood, his father wielding a knife with the apparent intent to kill and suddenly that sheep Abraham mentioned earlier appeared.

Other thoughts on Genesis 22?

Abraham is nearly the thickest man in history. Or the weakest. After prostituting his wife, then Sarai, to the pharaoh of Egypt he profited his purse greatly though you could reasonably argue that Lot’s misfortune was a direct result of Abraham’s sin. But here he is again willing to sell his wife for some security.
I was angry just reading that. Abimelech was apparently angry about this as well.
This exchange is so telling:

Abimelech went on to Abraham, “Whatever were you thinking of when you did this thing?”

Abraham said, “I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they’d kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she’s my father’s daughter but not my mother’s. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father’s home, I told her, ‘Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I’m your brother.’”

Abraham answers the question very simply, but I’m not sure he really answered Abimelech at all. In fact, I wonder if this is really a rhetorical question, because there’s really no satisfactory answer.

Abimelech’s servants were shocked, and I continue to be confounded by Abraham.

God’s traveling companions from chapter 18, two angels, continued to Sodom to meet Lot. Like Abraham, Lot recognizes them as something more than human. But apparently so did some of the residents of the city, who bear down on Lot’s home. Was it an act of intended dominance? Intrigue? Regardless, that sealed the fate of the city. After Lot offered his daughters to the crowd of men (they were rejected) the angels struck the offending men blind and told Lot to pack his bags.
The angels gave Lot a few hours and he tried to rescue his daughters’ fiancées. Why in the world did they treat his pleas as a joke? Then again, I think most Americans would take it as a joke if we heard destruction was imminent. In fact, often when we hear about impending natural disasters we do disregard it, so perhaps the fiancées are very much like us.
I understand Lot’s wife turning into salt for her disobedience. Harsh perhaps, but a time to disregard God’s clear instruction is not in the middle of a time when he’s doling out punishment elsewhere. But I have so many questions about Lot’s daughter’s incest. I wonder if he ever found out: I don’t know the timeline, but I wonder if he chalked up the babies to final flings between his daughters and their fiancées on the eve of Sodom’s destructive. I wonder if Abraham knew, and whether when Lot’s descendants plagued the Israelites they saw their forefather’s failures in their enemies’ spears. But really, I wonder what those girls were thinking. Didn’t God just destroy your city for its wickedness? Didn’t lava just consume everyone you knew? Why would sleeping with your drunk dad seem like a particularly good idea?

Surely Abraham didn’t always respond to visitors as he did to God’s visit, with 2 others. So was this an instance where God’s manifest presence was so obviously extra-human, like in The Man Who Was Thursday, that Abraham knew something was up? Did he know he was God or just someone worth respect?
Any questions of their guest’s divinity must have been settled when Sarah’s internal laughter was called out. It’s interesting that she was rebuked for her doubt, given it was internal. The sin that lives in my mind often gets a free pass, but here Sarah’s nailed for the attitude that she doesn’t even give word to.
Where’s Sarah’s doubt was so silent that only God could have known, Abraham’s opposition to Sodom’s planned destruction could not have been more clear. He physically blocked God from leaving, challenged his reasoning then had the tenacity (or audacity?) to bargain with him for the fate of a city. Given his previously displayed affection for Lot, chasing after his rescue at the expense of foreign armies, I’m not surprised. But then again, he must recognize how fully dependant on God he is for everything he has and open resistance had to have been uncomfortable for the pragmatic wanderer.
He must have walked away sure he’d saved the city when God agreed to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake on only ten faithful. Sadly, even our lowest expectations are often too high.