Replies

What fun! How do they all fit together...?

Fun... see, it's the joy of the whole discovery process. The other day I ran across a thread about the "sin of worry". Like who doesn't have enough to worry about. You never can be contrite and beat down enough for some folks, you have to worry about being worried! What is that, a symbiosis between battered wives and batterers? Freaky stuff out there masquerading as proper Godly living and attitudes.

Meanwhile, there's all this treasure from heaven just waiting to be scooped up and appreciated. Exciting, innit? It's coming from a whole nuther direction than the sin-bombs. How does the Messiah take away sins? Just tell him. Talk it over. Dump it out. He knows who wants to make it right. What David was doing penning those Psalms. Can you imagine the attitude adjustment that would be required of David from this generation? "OMG" really fits here. :)

Back to Rachel. She was something. There was Leah, holding flowers given to her by her son - her son! Jacob's firstborn - and Rachel asks for a quantity "out of" the bunch. Prepositions are important. Not all, might you, just some. Leah bugs out and snaps to her sister that what, not enough that you've got my husband (Rachel was the true soul mate, after all), now you want my son's dudaim. She didn't say that Rachel wanted a portion *out of* them, but that Rachel wanted them, as if to indicate their entirety.

Fascinating. The drama continues. Well fine okay, Rachel says how if Jacob goes over to your tent instead, in exchange for the dudaim. Again, not a portion "out of" them, but the dudaim. Leah makes the exchange. Ooops. She gets more children, but more are the children of the desolate than those of the married wife. The desolate woman's seed shall inherit the Gentiles. Rachel and Jacob were sure meant for each other. :)

The two sisters were both wives of Jacob, but note Leah's typical pattern for naming her sons. Now my husband will love me, now my husband will be joined to me. On and on. Husband this, husband that. With Judah she simply praised the Lord.

Rachel had to wait a long time to have a son. And when she did, she named him saying the Lord will add to her another. See what I mean?

When Joseph had his dreams, Rachel was already gone, but what was that dream he dreamed? Jacob interprets extemporaneously. Jewish commentaries that explain that Jacob was attempting to dismiss the dream's significance in front of the brothers (they hated Joseph for them), with Jacob claiming, "What is it? Pretty much a junk dream. After all, your mother is already dead, so why pay attention to any of it."

Yet Jacob paid note. This was Rachel's son, after all. His favorite. The kid had... special qualities. There was Rachel.

After all this time, who is thinking much about Rachel's death, or what her grave signifies besides her being there to watch the children/exiles of Israel travel along the road. How about the entire redemption process. Birthrights, who gets what. Double portions. Rachel the soulmate. Her untimely death. Jacob's deep sorrow. You just know it all has to be wrapped up, rectified. She died on the way to "the bakery", the place where the wheat is made into bread (staff) of life. Where David was born. From where the Messiah comes. There's geography, but there is also genealogy.

How to join, how to join. Through the children. Rachel was looking far down the road. Want a kick, read the mandrake story with Leah exclaiming to Jacob, "Woo hoo, look! I've hired you with my son's birthright!" Eh well, bless her heart, what she didn't know. She's not cut out of the loop at all, mind you, just that... does anybody think the spirit/soul of Messiah is from Leah? The mother. It all depends on the mother. Ah, Rachel. Gotta love her.

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

This whole process is going to sneak up from behind and catch people off-guard. I don't like to be caught off-guard.