| GENESIS |
| Explanatory Footnotes - page 3 |
| get the children he and his wife longed for and to "help God out" in fulfilling his promise of a son. Abraham's way was not God's way, however, and Abraham's attempt led to considerable jealousy and sorrow. The same practice also led to trouble for Jacob's family (chapter 30). 17:17 Laughing at God Abraham was a man of faith, but his faith was less than 100 percent. Here, nearing the age of 100, he laughed heartily at God's promise that he would father a son, and he demonstrated his lack of belief by suggesting God consider Ishmael as an adequate substitute. Some time later Sarah, his wife, shared in the "joke" (18:12). 19:37 Family Quarrels Lot's detemination to enjoy his life in Sodom ended tragically here, in drunken incest. The resulting sons founded the family-nations of Moab and Ammon, which for centuries fought with their distant relatives in Israel and tempted them to sin. 23:15 Let's Make a Deal This may be the oldest recorded business deal. The elaborate politeness sounds very much like bargaining in the Middle East today. Underneath the smooth words, shrewd negotiating is going on. The Hittites were probably reluctant to allow Abraham, an alien, to own property of any kind lest he gain a legal foothold in their country. Abraham zeroed in on Ephron, who stood to gain financially from the sale. 24:3 Marrying Foreigners From this earliest period of Jewish history, there was an emphasis on not marrying foreigners. The reason had to do with religion, not race - in many cases foreigners were distant relations. When foreigners were willing to worship Israel's God, they were welcomed (see the book of Ruth, for example.) |
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