Genesis 36-39 It doesn't matter where I am
I've always wondered what the purpose of including the long list of hard to pronounce names in the bible is. There are very few of them are even remembered by anyone. And to be honest reading through a whole chapter of just genealogy is really sleep inducing let alone being able to enjoy it. But it gave a a different perspective when I started to think of each name was a human being and God remembered each one of them. It gives me comfort to think that no matter how insignificant we feel we are, we am remembered by Him even if our names are not written down in the bible.
Furthermore, there are quite a few questions appeared on my mind along reading these chapters. What exactly is wicked in God's eyes? Because it always bewildered me when I read "God" put some people to death and only mentioned that they were wicked and nothing else. Judah's first son died because he was wicked, yet Reuben, who slept with his father's concubine wasn't put to death for the obvious wickedness. Judah's second son had to marry his dead brother's wife in order to continue his brother's bloodline and which is just a bizarre and archaic custom in my modern mind. Even if he was wrong to purposely avoid impregnating the wife, but it wasn't very fair for him to have to carry this responsibility. It is not at all selfish to not wanting to marry your brother's wife and procreating a child that can't even be yours. Although I do think that he should've had refused to marry and have sex with her in the first place. I can't help but thinking that maybe those "wicked" people died because of various reasons but people back then didn't know how to explain it so they attributed the deaths to God's doing. Basically anything that happened that could not be explained was attributed to God's wrath. But fortunately, Jesus came to rewrite the image of God.
Besides, it is also interesting that despite Joseph seemed like a decent enough man (even though he appeared to be arrogant at a young age and was jealous by his brothers but that was another story) and was chosen to help saving his whole family from famine, yet it was the one of the twins created between Judah and his own daughter-in-law that was chosen to be part of the blood line that link to Jesus. I always thought it would have had been Joseph who was chosen. Even though it seems strange but it shows me that every single person regardless of wealth, race, gender, social status or profession has his own niche and purpose in this world. We tend to overlook the crucial roles we play in other people's lives or in this society.
The most valuable thing I learned from Joseph's story is he did everything so well because God was with him wherever he was, even when he was sold as a slave and even when he was in prison. It really gave me a new perspective of looking at my life. I always felt embarrassed and less for doing what I did at my last job. It wasn't ideal enough to my standard and I even felt depressed for it for a long time. But now I have learned that it really doesn't matter what I do. And it doesn't really matter where I will end up working at as long as God's with me. And I will do my best and He will help me to thrive.
Furthermore, there are quite a few questions appeared on my mind along reading these chapters. What exactly is wicked in God's eyes? Because it always bewildered me when I read "God" put some people to death and only mentioned that they were wicked and nothing else. Judah's first son died because he was wicked, yet Reuben, who slept with his father's concubine wasn't put to death for the obvious wickedness. Judah's second son had to marry his dead brother's wife in order to continue his brother's bloodline and which is just a bizarre and archaic custom in my modern mind. Even if he was wrong to purposely avoid impregnating the wife, but it wasn't very fair for him to have to carry this responsibility. It is not at all selfish to not wanting to marry your brother's wife and procreating a child that can't even be yours. Although I do think that he should've had refused to marry and have sex with her in the first place. I can't help but thinking that maybe those "wicked" people died because of various reasons but people back then didn't know how to explain it so they attributed the deaths to God's doing. Basically anything that happened that could not be explained was attributed to God's wrath. But fortunately, Jesus came to rewrite the image of God.
Besides, it is also interesting that despite Joseph seemed like a decent enough man (even though he appeared to be arrogant at a young age and was jealous by his brothers but that was another story) and was chosen to help saving his whole family from famine, yet it was the one of the twins created between Judah and his own daughter-in-law that was chosen to be part of the blood line that link to Jesus. I always thought it would have had been Joseph who was chosen. Even though it seems strange but it shows me that every single person regardless of wealth, race, gender, social status or profession has his own niche and purpose in this world. We tend to overlook the crucial roles we play in other people's lives or in this society.
The most valuable thing I learned from Joseph's story is he did everything so well because God was with him wherever he was, even when he was sold as a slave and even when he was in prison. It really gave me a new perspective of looking at my life. I always felt embarrassed and less for doing what I did at my last job. It wasn't ideal enough to my standard and I even felt depressed for it for a long time. But now I have learned that it really doesn't matter what I do. And it doesn't really matter where I will end up working at as long as God's with me. And I will do my best and He will help me to thrive.
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