The issues brought up sure make me think of how life back then was so different, and how things we look down on today were acceptable practice back then. Things such as marrying one's first cousin. I find it ironic how even then there was a double standard between the way men and women acted in regards to intimacy. The women were expected to be pure to their husbands, but the husbands took many wives in addition to lying with their servants/concubines. In today's society, many people are not surprised if a man has many women, but it is very surprising when a woman does. I am looking forward to seeing where this changes in the Bible.
I am also looking forward to learning more about circumcision. It is such a huge debate now days. We chose to circumcise our boys, and have come under ridicule for it. I know there is Biblical justification for it for some people, but I am not certain it is there for us. I guess I will have an answer to that one way or the other by the time this is all finished.
I wish I knew more about the day to day lives back then, sometimes it is just SO hard to understand things they did because they seem so out of left field
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed today's reading today more than yesterday as well! I agree with you on how it is hard to read about what God tolerated in relationships then.
ReplyDeleteWe circumcised our oldest, just because we were young and thought that is what you did...no reason behind it. We chose not to our other 2 boys. Did you know that circumcision today can only be done at birth because of a Vitamin K shot, instead of the eight days that God required? Otherwise there would be excessive bleeding?
I am blogging through my readings too! (Although I didn't blog about circumcision.)
I agree that Genesis can be very dry. With whole chapters of So and so was the father of so and so. But I did learn something I never knew before. That God commanded Noah to take 7 pairs of each kind of animal. My thought that it was just 1 pair, just two.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the role of women in the Old Testament. Wasn't so rosey, was it? I think it became custom though and not what God intended at all.
In the first part of Genesis, the scripture says that male and female were made in His image. Equally. Not to say that their function wasn't supposed to be different but I don't think that God intended man to take multiple wives.
And personally I can't imagine handing my husband over to someone who worked for me for him to get her pregnant as Sarah did with Hagar. That's just asking for trouble. There wasn't any artificial insemination back then, ya know. :)
I think it's fine to circumcise or not. I don't feel it's right to judge anybody on that whether they did or they didn't. I think that's a choice parents have to make for their sons based on their beliefs.
I'm really enjoying the #b90Days myself. Good luck with blogging every day about it. I'm not that good. :)
Kim@hoppinhomemaking.com