Chapters 16-17
Welcome back faithful Bible readers! After taking a short hiatus from this blog, it is time once again to pick up where we left off. As promised, we begin by diving into two very challenging stories that will most likely disturb our own sense of ethics: the story of Ishmael and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
In the story of Hagar and Ishmael, we modern Christians can see just how far away we are from ancient Biblical culture. We see in this narrative that slavery, polygamy, and domestic household abuse are all apparently normal and accepted practices. While we see that God is indeed at work within these events of chapter 16, it would be very unwise of us to read this story in a superficial fashion and then conclude that what was good for our ancestors can still be good for us today. No, indeed! Instead, it is much better to read such morally questionable stories as part of the larger narrative of God revealing truth to people over the centuries.
As for this story itself, what is remarkable is that a foreign woman, Hagar, is given the gift of an epiphany. She sees God and receives from Him a promise. However, to confuse matters, you should note that there are several obscure words in Hebrew that make translation almost impossible. You should see footnotes in your Bible at verses 13 and 14.
While this story does undoubtedly disturb our modern sensibilities, it does heighten the tension in the ongoing Abraham saga; will God's promise of an heir come true? It seems that Sarai's own attempt at solving the problem is not what God had in mind. In addition, the Israelites would have passed on this oral story down through the generations as an explanation for how their nomadic neighbors came to exist. Arabic Muslims consider themselves sons and daughters of Abraham, tracing their own lineage to Ishmael himself.
In the story of Hagar and Ishmael, we modern Christians can see just how far away we are from ancient Biblical culture. We see in this narrative that slavery, polygamy, and domestic household abuse are all apparently normal and accepted practices. While we see that God is indeed at work within these events of chapter 16, it would be very unwise of us to read this story in a superficial fashion and then conclude that what was good for our ancestors can still be good for us today. No, indeed! Instead, it is much better to read such morally questionable stories as part of the larger narrative of God revealing truth to people over the centuries.
As for this story itself, what is remarkable is that a foreign woman, Hagar, is given the gift of an epiphany. She sees God and receives from Him a promise. However, to confuse matters, you should note that there are several obscure words in Hebrew that make translation almost impossible. You should see footnotes in your Bible at verses 13 and 14.
While this story does undoubtedly disturb our modern sensibilities, it does heighten the tension in the ongoing Abraham saga; will God's promise of an heir come true? It seems that Sarai's own attempt at solving the problem is not what God had in mind. In addition, the Israelites would have passed on this oral story down through the generations as an explanation for how their nomadic neighbors came to exist. Arabic Muslims consider themselves sons and daughters of Abraham, tracing their own lineage to Ishmael himself.
In chapter 17, we ask the question, "What's in a name?" Well, just as when spouses may choose to change his or her last name, thus marking a new life phase, so too do these name changes in Genesis mark a change. It should help you to know that Abraham means "ancestor of many", Sarah means "princess" [princess because she is the mother of many kings], and Isaac means "he laughs" in the Hebrew.
But while the name changes in response to God renewing the covenant may seem appropriate, what seems dreadful is the initiation of circumcision. I shall never forget the horrified looks on the faces of my confirmation students one year when I informed them that Abraham circumcised himself at the age of ninety-nine.
While we could read this story historically and assume that the original patriarch of the Hebrew people started the tradition of circumcision, the better explanation is that circumcision, a practice that was common across the ancient Middle East, became a standard Jewish religious practice over time. Nonetheless, the priests who wrote down the Abraham story around the 4th century B.C. would have been anxious to show that even their most exalted ancestor followed this important covenant law. Like all of Genesis, here we see story, religion, custom, and a bit of history mixing together to form a very interesting Biblical casserole!
Also, I'm happy to report that I can't find an illustration of Abraham circumcising himself. While many stories from the Bible have inspired great artwork throughout the centuries, this apparently was never one of them. Let's move on....
But while the name changes in response to God renewing the covenant may seem appropriate, what seems dreadful is the initiation of circumcision. I shall never forget the horrified looks on the faces of my confirmation students one year when I informed them that Abraham circumcised himself at the age of ninety-nine.
While we could read this story historically and assume that the original patriarch of the Hebrew people started the tradition of circumcision, the better explanation is that circumcision, a practice that was common across the ancient Middle East, became a standard Jewish religious practice over time. Nonetheless, the priests who wrote down the Abraham story around the 4th century B.C. would have been anxious to show that even their most exalted ancestor followed this important covenant law. Like all of Genesis, here we see story, religion, custom, and a bit of history mixing together to form a very interesting Biblical casserole!
Also, I'm happy to report that I can't find an illustration of Abraham circumcising himself. While many stories from the Bible have inspired great artwork throughout the centuries, this apparently was never one of them. Let's move on....
Chapters 18 - 19
At the beginning of Chapter 18 we have a story that will deliberately contrast with the unfortunate history of Sodom and Gomorrah which will immediately follow. It is important to keep the story of Abraham's encounter with the three angels linked with the others as they are meant to remain a pair. While the main action of the first story with Abraham is the renewal once again of God's promise of a son to the elderly couple, you should not skip over the details of how Abraham welcomes the strangers to his tent. Usually artwork depicts the three strangers as ethereal angels, but no such description of their physical appearance is present in the text. All we have to go on is that the three messengers of God appeared as "men".
How extraordinary then that Abraham lavishes such hospitality upon the three strangers! He presses them to stop and rest in his camp and prepares the very best of his food for them to eat. He even washes their feet. While this kind of hospitality may seem over-the-top to the average modern reader, all of the ancient Middle East shared similar conventions in terms of hospitality; it was expected in that region, no matter the religion or ethnicity of a stranger, to offer him nourishment and shelter. In such a part of the world where the weather could be extreme and the wilderness a dangerous place, it was considered basic human decency to welcome needy travelers into one's own camp.
In contrast, we see then why Sodom and Gomorrah earn fire and brimstone from God. Lot, relative of Abraham, extends the same hospitality to the three strangers who approach the city gate, but instead of enjoying an easy evening, the men of the city gather outside of Lot's house and threaten to gang rape the strangers.
At the beginning of Chapter 18 we have a story that will deliberately contrast with the unfortunate history of Sodom and Gomorrah which will immediately follow. It is important to keep the story of Abraham's encounter with the three angels linked with the others as they are meant to remain a pair. While the main action of the first story with Abraham is the renewal once again of God's promise of a son to the elderly couple, you should not skip over the details of how Abraham welcomes the strangers to his tent. Usually artwork depicts the three strangers as ethereal angels, but no such description of their physical appearance is present in the text. All we have to go on is that the three messengers of God appeared as "men".
How extraordinary then that Abraham lavishes such hospitality upon the three strangers! He presses them to stop and rest in his camp and prepares the very best of his food for them to eat. He even washes their feet. While this kind of hospitality may seem over-the-top to the average modern reader, all of the ancient Middle East shared similar conventions in terms of hospitality; it was expected in that region, no matter the religion or ethnicity of a stranger, to offer him nourishment and shelter. In such a part of the world where the weather could be extreme and the wilderness a dangerous place, it was considered basic human decency to welcome needy travelers into one's own camp.
In contrast, we see then why Sodom and Gomorrah earn fire and brimstone from God. Lot, relative of Abraham, extends the same hospitality to the three strangers who approach the city gate, but instead of enjoying an easy evening, the men of the city gather outside of Lot's house and threaten to gang rape the strangers.
Please read this carefully: this story does NOT refer to homosexuality as modern readers understand it, but instead describes sexual violence meant to dehumanize three outsiders.
Unfortunately, gang rape was and still is a common practice among groups of people who wish to utterly defeat and destroy a perceived enemy. Like a conquering army, the men of Lot reveal that they are concerned with domination. Perhaps they are xenophobic, paranoid about outsiders entering their town. In any case, the violent mob is the absolute opposite of Abraham and Lot's hospitality.
Because the town has violated the most basic ethic of Middle Eastern culture, held in common across different tribes and religions, we readers should not be surprised that God responds to such inhuman behavior with destruction. Of course, this should beg the question among modern readers, do Sodoms and Gomorrahs exist today? Many Christians have long misread this story as a condemnation of supposed deviant sexual behavior, but really, paired with the Abraham story, this is a condemnation of violent inhospitable behavior towards strangers. I'm sure we can come up with many modern anecdotes that share similarities with the ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.
If you weren't already horrified by these Scripture passages which seem to casually refer to threats of rape (the gang threatening the strangers and Lot offering his daughter instead), chapter 19 ends with an equally disturbing story of incest. There's really not much here of great value to talk about; the probable reason for this story being included in the Genesis narrative is that it explains the origins of the Moabites and Ammonites, ethnic tribes native to the region surrounding Israel. Of course, this story illustrates exactly what the Hebrew people thought of their distant cousins and neighbors! I'm sure generations of Israelites found satisfaction in retelling this story about the Moabites and Ammonites as if to say, "Yeah, we're related, but they certainly belong to a LESSER branch of the family tree...here's a story that proves my point!"
Thanks for reading! Check back again soon as we will next be exploring the climax of the Abraham cycle with the birth of his son Isaac.
In the meantime, be sure to leave a comment or a question about the readings in question.
Thanks for reading! Check back again soon as we will next be exploring the climax of the Abraham cycle with the birth of his son Isaac.
In the meantime, be sure to leave a comment or a question about the readings in question.