Good afternoon friends,
I'm sorry to send this out so late; my home internet is having issues. This story has always struck me as funny because the sisters, who compete for their husband's attention now trade his sexual favors. It's also funny because the Bible is often guilty (like most older writing) of objectifying women and here a man is the traded object. I hadn't ever known much about mandrakes, the plant for which Rachel trades a night with Jacob, but today I looked them up. Many strange legends exist about mandrakes, including one used in Harry Potter that the mandrake root screams when uprooted and the scream can be fatal. The root is hallucinogenic and toxic and is associated with various other properties including sexuality.
There were Jewish traditions that the mandrake was a useful remedy for infertility. Since Rachel hadn't been able to have children at this point in her marriage it makes more sense that she would really want the mandrakes. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this snippet of the story and I hope you stay safe and hydrated today.
God bless,
Sam
Genesis 30:14-24
14In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.” 16When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”
So he lay with her that night. 17And God heeded Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18Leah said, “God has given me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband”; so she named him Issachar. 19And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons”; so she named him Zebulun. 21Afterwards she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah. 22Then God remembered Rachel, and God heeded her and opened her womb. 23She conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach”; 24and she named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord add to me another son!”
Showing posts with label sex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sex. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
marriage and sex
Good morning friends,
I'd like to apologize for not sending out the daily reading yesterday. There was an exciting adventure story involving spending the night in the Washington Airport that explains most of that, but that's a story for another time. To get back on track with the reading we'll read yesterday's and today's together since they complement each other well. This part of 1 Corinthians is about sex and marriage. One reminder that's particularly applicable here is that the phrases in quotations are thought to be quotes from a letter Paul received from the church, to which he is responding. The first part hinges on fornication, which really means casual sex. Paul's argument is that in baptism and faith our bodies are members of Christ's body and temples of the Holy Spirit. Any time we have sex we are joining our body with another person's body, meaning we join part of Christ's body with that person. Sex is not impure or unclean because love makes it holy. Casual, abusive, or unloving sex dishonors not just our body, but Christ's too.
Some folks in the church took matters further than Paul and felt like sex in general was not good for Christians. Paul agrees in some ways, because the deep human relationships in which sex is appropriate involve high commitment. Paul feels like that kind of commitment distracts us from ministry, as all of us who are in relationships, especially with children, know first hand. But Paul also knows committed partnership, and sex in that partnership, is a good and joyful thing allowed by God. Further, while some people, like Paul, have been given the spiritual gift of celibacy (in other words, they thrive outside of committed relationships and generally don't need intimate human contact) for most of us staying away from sexual commitment leads to temptation. That temptation is powerful and spiritually dangerous, so it is better to structure our desire in marriage or permanent partnership. The overall point here is putting our faith at the center of all of our relationships and living our faith powerfully in everything we do.
blessings in your discipleship today,
Sam
1 Corinthians 6:12-7:9
12“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” 17But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is well for a man not to touch a woman.” 2But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6This I say by way of concession, not of command. 7I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind. 8To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. 9But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.
I'd like to apologize for not sending out the daily reading yesterday. There was an exciting adventure story involving spending the night in the Washington Airport that explains most of that, but that's a story for another time. To get back on track with the reading we'll read yesterday's and today's together since they complement each other well. This part of 1 Corinthians is about sex and marriage. One reminder that's particularly applicable here is that the phrases in quotations are thought to be quotes from a letter Paul received from the church, to which he is responding. The first part hinges on fornication, which really means casual sex. Paul's argument is that in baptism and faith our bodies are members of Christ's body and temples of the Holy Spirit. Any time we have sex we are joining our body with another person's body, meaning we join part of Christ's body with that person. Sex is not impure or unclean because love makes it holy. Casual, abusive, or unloving sex dishonors not just our body, but Christ's too.
Some folks in the church took matters further than Paul and felt like sex in general was not good for Christians. Paul agrees in some ways, because the deep human relationships in which sex is appropriate involve high commitment. Paul feels like that kind of commitment distracts us from ministry, as all of us who are in relationships, especially with children, know first hand. But Paul also knows committed partnership, and sex in that partnership, is a good and joyful thing allowed by God. Further, while some people, like Paul, have been given the spiritual gift of celibacy (in other words, they thrive outside of committed relationships and generally don't need intimate human contact) for most of us staying away from sexual commitment leads to temptation. That temptation is powerful and spiritually dangerous, so it is better to structure our desire in marriage or permanent partnership. The overall point here is putting our faith at the center of all of our relationships and living our faith powerfully in everything we do.
blessings in your discipleship today,
Sam
1 Corinthians 6:12-7:9
12“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” 17But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is well for a man not to touch a woman.” 2But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6This I say by way of concession, not of command. 7I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind. 8To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. 9But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Sodom and Judah
Good morning friends,
First, the sharing blog is up and running, so take a look or post something if you'd like to get in on the conversation. In today's and tomorrow's passages we see Isaiah compare Judah to Sodom and Gomorrah. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is probably somewhat familiar to us; if you'd like to refresh your memory it's in Genesis 19. At the same time when we hear the story now we have a hard time separating out the later meanings from the original story. The basic story is that Sodom and Gomorrah were cities in the Middle East with a reputation for injustice and evil. In Genesis 18 God decided to make a fact finding trip to see if the reputation was deserved, and to destroy the cities if the reports were true. The way God investigated was to send two angels as visitors to the city. When the angels visited Sodom, no one invited them into their home. In those days hospitality was a sacred duty, so this is already a huge indictment against the city. Finally Lot, Abraham's nephew who had settled in Sodom, saw the visitors and took them home. Not long after that the men of the city came knocking on Lot's door wanting to sexually assault the visitors. In a shocking indication of that culture's understanding of women and the importance of protecting guests, Lot offers the angry crowd his daughters instead, but they are intent on the visitors. At that point the angels strike the crowd blind, lead Lot and his family out of the city to escape, and destroy the city.
Many people understand this story as a judgment against homosexuality, but that's not true. The crime that brought judgment on Sodom was injustice, violation of the duty of hospitality and attempted gang rape. There certainly is an assumption behind the story that men sleeping together is a sign of disorder and that has all kinds of cultural reasons behind it we can discuss another time. Suffice it to say that when this was written (probably the 6th century from much older stories) Israel had no concept of the possibility of committed, same-sex relationships between consenting adults. At any rate, after this story Sodom and Gomorrah stand as symbols for civilizations that were totally wiped out by God because of widespread injustice. Isaiah uses this story to compare the devastating judgment facing Judah with the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. His point is that even though Judah is God's special children, they have turned away completely and have fallen into self-destructive patterns that will lead to judgment. May God guide us as we consider difficult stories and as we listen for God's warning.
Blessings,
Sam
Isaiah 1:1-9
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. 3The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. 4Ah, sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, offspring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord, who have despised the Holy One of Israel, who are utterly estranged! 5Why do you seek further beatings? Why do you continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil. 7Your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. 8And daughter Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a shelter in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. 9If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we would have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.
First, the sharing blog is up and running, so take a look or post something if you'd like to get in on the conversation. In today's and tomorrow's passages we see Isaiah compare Judah to Sodom and Gomorrah. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is probably somewhat familiar to us; if you'd like to refresh your memory it's in Genesis 19. At the same time when we hear the story now we have a hard time separating out the later meanings from the original story. The basic story is that Sodom and Gomorrah were cities in the Middle East with a reputation for injustice and evil. In Genesis 18 God decided to make a fact finding trip to see if the reputation was deserved, and to destroy the cities if the reports were true. The way God investigated was to send two angels as visitors to the city. When the angels visited Sodom, no one invited them into their home. In those days hospitality was a sacred duty, so this is already a huge indictment against the city. Finally Lot, Abraham's nephew who had settled in Sodom, saw the visitors and took them home. Not long after that the men of the city came knocking on Lot's door wanting to sexually assault the visitors. In a shocking indication of that culture's understanding of women and the importance of protecting guests, Lot offers the angry crowd his daughters instead, but they are intent on the visitors. At that point the angels strike the crowd blind, lead Lot and his family out of the city to escape, and destroy the city.
Many people understand this story as a judgment against homosexuality, but that's not true. The crime that brought judgment on Sodom was injustice, violation of the duty of hospitality and attempted gang rape. There certainly is an assumption behind the story that men sleeping together is a sign of disorder and that has all kinds of cultural reasons behind it we can discuss another time. Suffice it to say that when this was written (probably the 6th century from much older stories) Israel had no concept of the possibility of committed, same-sex relationships between consenting adults. At any rate, after this story Sodom and Gomorrah stand as symbols for civilizations that were totally wiped out by God because of widespread injustice. Isaiah uses this story to compare the devastating judgment facing Judah with the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. His point is that even though Judah is God's special children, they have turned away completely and have fallen into self-destructive patterns that will lead to judgment. May God guide us as we consider difficult stories and as we listen for God's warning.
Blessings,
Sam
Isaiah 1:1-9
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. 3The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. 4Ah, sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, offspring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord, who have despised the Holy One of Israel, who are utterly estranged! 5Why do you seek further beatings? Why do you continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil. 7Your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. 8And daughter Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a shelter in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. 9If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we would have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.
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