So the bible is starting to get juicy around the 27th chapter of Genesis. Isaac, son of Abraham, married to Rebekah (The quintessential Jewish mother…note the sarcasm.) Jacob and Esau, twins, were born to Rebekah and Isaac. But Jacob was clearly Rebekah's favorite, so much so that she decided to have Jacob dupe Esau with regard to his father's (Abraham) blessing.  This caused a grudge between Esau and Jacob. Jacob lied to have favor with his father. Esau vowed to kill Jacob. So Rebekah sent Jacob away for fear that Esau would kill him, Rebekah told Jacob to go to Laban and stay until Esau's anger became less and he forgot what Jacob had done to him…Yeah, right…that's going to happen...clearly these people are not Italian.

On his way Jacob has a revelation of sorts;

10Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and proceeded toward Haran. 11When he came upon a certain place,* he stopped there for the night, since the sun had already set. Taking one of the stones at the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12Then he had a dream: a stairway* rested on the ground, with its top reaching to the heavens; and God’s angels were going up and down on it.f 13And there was the LORD standing beside him and saying: I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you are lying I will give to you and your descendants.g 14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and through them you will spread to the west and the east, to the north and the south. In you and your descendants all the families of the earth will find blessing.h 15I am with you and will protect you wherever you go, and bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you.i j 31: 13; 35: 14-15 k 35: 6; 48: 3; Jos 18: 13; Jgs 1: 23; Hos 12: 5 16When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Truly, the LORD is
in this place and I did not know it!” 17He was afraid and said: “How awesome this place is! This is nothing else but the house of God, the gateway to heaven!” 18Early the next morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a sacred pillar,* and poured oil on top of it.j 19He named that place Bethel,* whereas the former name of the town had been Luz.k 20Jacob then made this vow:* “If God will be with me and protect me on this journey I am making and give me food to eat and clothes to wear, 21and I come back safely to my father’s house, the LORD will be my God. 22This stone that I have set up as a sacred pillar will be the house of God. Of everything you give me, I will return a tenth part to you without fail.

I posted this particular part of chapter 28 because it stood out to me. Reading this portion of the bible  seems like a very warped family tree. But this one portion spoke to me. As the bible should…and not everyone will get the same thing out of the bible. This part is right before Jacob encounters Rachel, the wife he truly loves. In this dream God tells Jacob that he will not leave him. Again, we see the forgiving God, even though one of his children has done wrong. Jacob comes to believe that where he stands is truly where the LORD is. He makes a vow to make the LORD his God if God protects him on his journey. This is something we do very often, bargaining…perhaps some will not see this as bargaining but that is how it struck me. I have done this many times in my life, even though I clearly know that God is not one to bargain with…but I still do it.

So I continue to read, realizing that there is so much more in Genesis than I ever really knew. I have tuned out so much over the years. Honestly, I have sat in the pews, I have written words of what I thought I knew. I have spent so many years in the classroom, thinking I knew it all. Clearly, I knew nothing. I just gave what I thought I needed to…mostly the bare minimum to get me through even when I write here, I feel like I have to hold back and write what I think others want to hear and see. I have such a difficult time not trying t be a theologian. I am letting go of the fact that this is my journey right now…mine alone! Those who choose to share it with me must bear with the changes that I go through on this journey. There may be times where I seem to be all over the place…but isn't that the reality of us? Isn't that who we truly are? Beings that constantly change…souls that continuously strive for something more?