Friday, October 30, 2009

Genesis Lech Lecha Verses 12:1-17:27

Imagine a new world. Just like a rough draft of a story, God looked at the world that was destroyed by the flood. What could God do to make his covenant real? Promising to never destroy the world and its people means you have to make it right. God decided to choose a patriarch. In Haran, Mesopotamia, a man named Abram was at his father's home. Just like Noah. Abram listened to God and took his wife, Sarai, and his nephew Lot. Together with their possessions they went to the land of Canaan.

Canaan was not just a vast empty land. Many nations of kings lived there. Abram decided to split the land in half with Lot. Abram got the west and Lot got the eastern Jordan valley. A few days later war and oppression among the kinged nations breaks out in the Jordan Valley.

Lot was selfish to choose the Jordan Valley. It was the valued land for anyone with its rivers and fertile soil. Other nations would love this land. Abram and Sarai were alone in the east. No war. The only thing the patriarch wishes for is an offspring, but Sarai was much too old.

Sarai brings her maid to be the "mother of their offspring". Abram and the maid have the child Ishmael who was a fine man, but not Abram's heir. Just then, God makes the second of the two major covenant in the Torah. This one may be larger than the first. God promises, "You shall be father of a multitude of nations." (Genesis 17:4) God changes his name from Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah to show they are the people of God and promises them an offspring. Even though Sarah was quite old, Issac was born 9 months following the covenant. As for the father of a multitude of nations, Abraham is the patriarch of the Jewish faith, which means he is also patriarch of the Christian faith, and some people do not know this, but Abraham is also the patriarch in the Islamic faith.

From this parshat, I thought of the theme of believing in oneself. If we do not believe in God or ourselves all is lost. God believe and protected Abraham. Abraham trusted God. Living in the nation of the Red Sox, being a Yankee fan can cause great oppression come October. People turn on you as the Yankees win the pennant. I call it "Anti-Yankeeism". If I were to stop wearing the hats, and the jerseys. I would stop believing. Stop watching to all hours of the nights, but I do believe. As God and Abraham's belief in each other is mutual, the win in game 2 made me believe in the Yankees 27th World Series title.

1 comment:

  1. Nice twist at the end. I think you could spend weeks on this particular chapter - it is so rich with material.

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