Hebrew Bible and Christian Scriptures

I went to Presbyterian church in South Korea. After I came to USA, I go to Baptist Church. I went to the First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, and I go to the Columbus Avenue Baptist Church and the Korean United Methodist Church in Waco. In South Korea, I played piano and synthesizer at services and Sunday schools for eight years. I studied Computer Music which composes by computer in University in South Korea. At Truett, I want to have different experiences about Church music ministry and relationship with other students. After Truett, I plan for music ministry in church, performing church music, and teaching in university.

Genesis 38 about Judah and Tamar is interesting chapter because this chapter appears among the story of Joseph. Why does Genesis 38 mention Judah and Tamar? because Judah and Tamar are in the geology of Jesus. Especially, Perez, the son of Judah and Tamar, is also one of people of the geology of Jesus.

The story of Jacob and Joseph…

These stories are what I already knew before reading Genesis again.

But I can see those through different view and realize things that I did not find.

 Joseph is always with God, and his suffering are very meaningful.

I realize that Joseph not only acclimated his new environment as a slave but also did best whatever he did.

Especailly, Joseph went with God.

Jacob wrestles with God.  What a curious and yet profound passage this is.  When I was younger I was totally confused by it and in many ways, I still am.  The one thing I do take away from it though is that it is acceptable to “wrestle” with God.  This is the beginning of the nation of Israel, who would develop a tradition of “wrestling with God.”  Israel as a people would experience moments of euphoria as they bathed in the glory of the Lord and witnessed his mighty deeds, and yet still they went through moments of distrust, anger, and rejection of God.

Of course these things are not always good, but Jacob shows us that we do not always have to keep it all together.  As the people of God, we do not have to hold all the answers in a neat little box.  Rather as Christians we have the freedom to wrestle with doubts questions, and fears. When we are upset or angry with God, we do not have to put on a front and act like everything is alright.  Rather we have the freedom to tell God how we feel and wrestle with him like the Psalmist did.  Not only is it okay for us to do this, but God desires it and in many cases, will bless us for it.

What animals came out of the nile in the Pharoah’s dream that represent the seven years of abundance and the seven years of famine? Answer: Cows

Where were Laban’s household gods hidden in Isaac’s household? Answer: In a camel’s saddle underneath Rachel

Today at church there was a guest speaker who told the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael.  Her objective was to pull the church body into the story and find themselves reflected in the pain and sin, thus finding the hope that God offers.  The speaker spoke of the part of the story where Sarah demanded Abraham to put Hagar and her son out, because Ishamael was not to inherit of what Isaac would. She told it differently than I had previously understood it.  In the story Abraham was distressed at Sarah’s demands. God responded to Abraham’s distress by telling him to listen to Sarah because the promise He gave Sarah and Abraham would come true.  God then told Abraham that he would also make a nation out of Ishmael.  The speaker at church said that God never told Abraham to follow through with Sarah’s demands, but was referring instead to the affirmation that God’s promise would be fulfilled.  Abraham chose to relent to Sarah’s demands, but not because God instructed him to do so. God was only saying that he was affirming Sarah’s words about Isaac being promised seed of Abraham.

I had always thought that God was in fact telling Abraham to obey Sarah’s demands.  That never sat well with me.  I always thought that God did not condone evil but allowed for it because He also gave us free will.  If God is all that is good, then why would He tell Abraham to relent to something so evil? 

Though this new interpretation of this text made more sense to my picture of who God is, it still was not how I had understood it. So, I opened my pocket New King James version Bible and read the text, which read as follows:

“But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman.  Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman because he is your seed.”  (Genesis 21:12-13, NKJV). 

After reading this, I could see how the speaker could interpret the story in this way, and my attitude towards this story grew more hopeful. Maybe Abraham got it wrong in this case, and maybe God wasn’t condoning such a horrible act!  Upon returning home, I pulled out my New Revised Standard Version Bible to see if they interpreted it in this more favorable way. I was disappointed, as read the following:

“But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you.” (Genesis 21:12)

In reading this text, it seemed clear to me that my original unsettling thoughts regarding this passage were true.  I could not see how this could be interpreted in any other way than to understand that God was telling Abraham to obey Sarah’s demands and cast out his own wife and son.

The story went on to tell of how even in the act of casting out Hagar, God still provided for her and her son.  His promise of a nation springing forth from Ishmael came true.  But the pain and anguish that Hagar and Ishmael must have felt still lingers. Her intense grief that she suffered as she placed her only son under a tree to die does not sit well inside my soul as I remember that it was God who not only allowed but condoned this tragedy to occur.  I find it difficult to reconcile my own knowledge of God’s ultimate goodness with this story -God, who calls His people throughout history to care for the widows, orphans, and the foreigner. 

So which translation is more accurate? And what does the outcome of that answer mean for how we understand God?  If the NRSV version is more accurate, then what does this mean to how I perceive God? As I wrestled with these thoughts, I began to reflect on God’s ultimate goodness through the provision and caring for of all four of these characters, particularly in God’s interaction with Hagar.  At her ultimate point of despair and fear, God spoke to her personally, and encouraged her not to fear! God then affirmed his earlier promise to her that He would make a great nation out of Ishmael.  Earlier in the story when the reader finds Hagar at another point of despair, the LORD spoke to her. God did not forget her. This is what I cling to in this story, and it is there where I find the God’s ultimate goodness.

(photo taken from: http://www.robertmcfarlanephotos.com/0077_Grieving.woman_Cherbourg_Aboriginal_Community_1988_from_AFTER_200_YEARS_268×182.JPG)

Which biblical scholar was the first to separate the “Servant Songs” of Isaiah 40-55 from the rest of the book?

Bernhard Duhm

Ezra 3 paints a beautiful picture.  Many of the children of Israel have returned to Jerusalem.  They have poured the foundation for the second temple.  A great shout of praise was lifted to Yahweh.  Verse 11 of this chapter could be paraphrased, “The foundation of the temple has been laid.  We are finally home.”  This was a time of great joy for all the people.  Yet verse 12 provides an interesting contrast.  “But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.”  Apparently, not everyone was pleased with the new temple.  Scripture does not tell us why the older generation was sad.  However, they were overcome with anguish after seeing the foundation of the new temple.  Perhaps this new temple was not as big or as grand.  Perhaps this temple was a reminder of the glory days that would never return.  However, this memory of the past is selective at best.  The previous generation remembers the glory of the temple, but they forget the kings that behaved as taskmasters.  They forget the heavy taxation and enslavement.  They choose to forget the wickedness of Israel during “good old days”.

There is great benefit in studying and remembering our history.  However, remembrance has a tendency to become nostalgia and nostalgia does not allow a person to see what God is doing in the present.  In my experience, many of the conflicts between the younger and older generations in present-day churches revolves around this issue.  The previous generation wants to return to the days of big tent revivals and preaching that focuses on the fires of hell.  The younger generation does not see anything glorious about these things and decides to focus on what God is doing now…sometimes without any historical grounding.  However, both sides of the conversation are needed.  We need to remember the history of our faith and our churches.  This history impacts the way we seek to live our our faith in the present and the future.  Yet, this focus on the past cannot lead to stagnation or an attempt to recreate the past.

Which of Joseph’s sons did Jacob bless to be the greater?  Answer: Who is Ephraim?

(Ephraim was the younger son)

In Genesis 30, for what did Rachel bargain with Leah?  Answer: What is mandrakes?