January 13, 2022: Day 10 – Genesis 33-36 and John 18-19

I am really appreciating the comments and the interactions that we are having as we read Genesis and John together.  It seems like Genesis is attracting most of the attention because of the unique characters that are there, and the flaws of those characters.  And yet quietly Jesus is being led to the slaughter.

In Genesis we find the encounter of Esau and Jacob, one that we feared would create fireworks, but hardly a spark was seen.  Esau acted as the one whom God should have chosen by hugging his brother and treating him with a grace that he did not deserve.  I find it interesting that they even stay together, their families and their flocks, until later when the land can no longer support them then they separate and go their own way.

Just a chapter by chapter breakdown.  Jacob and Esau getting back together again is in 33, then we move on to a horrific story of the rape of Dinah.  We don’t hear at all how that rape affected Dinah, but we hear much more about how it affected her brothers and the vengeance that they take out on the Hivites.  Chapter 35 gives us the story of Jacob who is moving around a lot and the people of the neighboring lands being somewhat intimidated by the presence of him and his family.  

Chapter 36 gives us a long list of the sons of Esau and the long line of descendants that came from his sons.  Not a whole lot to write about here, but just keep in mind that God did not completely forget about him and he continues to be a son of Abraham.  

In John we find the arrest of Jesus after his betrayal by Judas.   The suffering of Jesus is pretty intense and it is only intensified by the disciples running away and Peter denying him.  Pilate’s concern of Jesus being a King is seen by all as he puts above Jesus’ cross the title of :”King of the Jews”.  The death and burial of Jesus take place in a way that is prophesied in Scripture.  Really from the beginning of Jesus’ life to the end we see Him as the one that has been prophesied in Scripture from the very beginning.  

2 thoughts on “January 13, 2022: Day 10 – Genesis 33-36 and John 18-19

  1. Caroline

    Jacob saw Esau and bowed down to him seven times. Esau runs to him and embraces him. Interesting! Is Jacob glad to see Esau, fearful that he will be vengeful, submissive as a younger brother is supposed to be? Which one, or is it all of them? Esau’s embracing of Jacob: is he glad to see him, forgiving? They wept. Despite all the deception and normal sibling rivalry they probably experience growing up, although we’re not told about that, there seems to be a bond between them that overcomes all of that.
    There is no forgiveness toward the Hivites. Why? Because they are alien? I wonder if the rape of Dinah, given the low status of women then, seems no worse to them than Jacob’s deception of Esau. Perhaps it doesn’t even seem as bad to them as that. Jacob and Esau, being brothers, can make amends to one another. They are not “other” to one another. The Hivites are.
    How much time was there between Genesis and John? There is a tremendous difference in the lives of the people in Genesis compared to those living at the time of John. In Genesis, life is much simpler, the population is far less dense, authority relationships involve God, fathers and sons. There are no kings or emperors. There are hardly any laws. In comparison, by the time of John, society is complex. The population is dense. There are overlapping centers of power and conflict. There are discreet cultures and religions. This is a pressure cooker.

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    1. Robert Bronkema Post author

      I am convinced that Jacob was extremely fearful to see Esau, he did expect a blood vengeance played out on him for what he had done. When they last left Esau was looking for him to kill him. Esau, however, has completely changed over time and has become much more of a man of God than Jacob ever would become. But, keep in mind, God has still chosen Jacob to carry out his purposes.
      There is maybe about 10,000 years between Abraham and the first century AD. Life is very, very different over those years. It has evolved from a society of nomadic tribes to a society built around Roman rule. But the pressure cooker existed both in nomadic life, fighting over wells and wives, as well as in Roman rule, fighting over gods and power. The pressure cooker is just cooking something different, but the pressure is there.

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