God's Here! Job 38-42

The beginning of chapter 38 caught my attention. Why? Well the Lord finally has a saying in all of this. I’m glad to have heard others’ opinions but it’s nice to see it from the actually “correct” point view. Correct in the sense that it is now God who can give us his opinion and finally speak up against Job and his complaints. I was actually kind of waiting for this moment you know, especially because it was weird to be reading the bible and not have God’s opinion on all of this. Also, he was being questioned and even challenged by these individuals and not having him speak up was starting to bother me.

So anyways, as the chapters tell, God finally answers Job’s complains, somehow trying to explain the reasoning behind it all. In my belief, it is all a matter of balances.It is not my intention to sound redundant, but I strongly believe that for every positive a negative comes in. that is, for every good thing we receive, a bad one come in the package too.

It is also clear how the appearance of God changes the entire mood of the story.

Obviously having a much higher role than Job himself, God speaks in an authoritarian tone, as if to intimidate others. “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” Job 38.2. This is only the second line of the chapter, but I was able to perceive how the Lord is actually aware of all the talking that had been going on and is therefore questioning back at Job what his true motives were. As a matter of fact, he even challenges his knowledge, making me in particular wonder how much we can possibly know in comparison to this apparently unbeatable being.

But I would like to talk a little about the point of the chapter in general. After the dialogue between Job and God, it’s the Lord’s decision to “reward” Job after all the misfortunes he’s suffered, by doubling everything he used to have. However, I found it confusing. I’m not entirely sure why but how I look at it, God is practically fooling around with Job. Why is that so? It is confusing that he had caused all of that suffering to Job, even making him crack and curse, to in the end simply give it back. I understand it was all an essential part to our understanding of God’s ways, but I can’t help but to question the point of it all.

Job 11-37

Reading chapters 11-37 was somewhat monotonous. I mean, it was exhausting to read on and on about Job and his friends questioning God’s ways and their destinies. As they come to meet and comfort Job, his friends play an important role in the development of the story.

While discussing Job’s situation, we are able to listen to his friends’ opinions and how each one expresses a different point of view. We see statements like these: “Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?” Job 11.3 were, in my opinion, one of them begins to question the Lord’s criteria. On the other side, we find interventions like these: “Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?” Job 20.4


Even though I didn’t exactly enjoy reading this particular part of the bible, I found it interesting to see how the author, or I guess I should say authors in this case, varied the tone in their writings. For example, in stories like the one of Noah I perceived a more serious tone, instructing on what is right or wrong rather than motivating reflection. This story however, provided us an extensive dialogue which a variety of opinions, obviously with a common goal, but that one way or another allow us to create our own believe.

It is thanks to this phenomenon that I have been able to extract so much more from this reading that just for literary purposes. I mean, it is valid that one reads these stories to evaluate its content, style, etc, and completely ignores any other reactions it might create. Nevertheless, I found my case to be a balance between meeting the standards needed for the class as well as growing at a personal level.

But back to the reading, it is basically a non-stopping dialogue between a group of people, of friends, that gather around to discuss a certain issue. This is completely normal, I believe, for them to be so open about what should be or shouldn’t be done. However, it is nice to see the bible be so okay with it. Especially since some opinions don’t exactly agree with religious teachings themselves. I’m not sure what else I could note, besides the fact that most of them share the belief that Job had indeed done the right thing in cursing God; after all they encouraged it all. But once again, like I said before, it wasn’t at all entertaining.

Job 1-10

I am rather enjoying the Reading of the book of Job, to be honest. Most of all, I like the way it is written and find it way more entertaining than the other bible text I’ve read previously. Besides, I found it enriching to actually read about the philosophy of it all, why things happen the way they do, and explore a little more God’s thinking.

These first ten chapters narrate the story of Job, a man who apparently praised God and lived a sinless life. He was, because of this, blessed the Lord and used as an example for others. “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there isnone like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?“ Job 1.8. The whole dilemma of the story begins with the appearance of Satan; a not completely debuting character in the bible. As he presents himself to the Lord, he begins to question and challenge Job’s loyalty. “But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” Job 1.11.

I would like to bring out the fact that I had something similar to a flashback as I read about Satan. Like in Adam and Eve’s case, the evil is present and always trying to ruin, in one way or another, the main character’s well-being. It was interesting however, to see how the devil was so clearly defined as for the reader to identify him immediately. Once again we see how evil somewhat triumphs over faith and obedience, bringing shame upon humans.
So, now questioning Job’s true faith in him, God decides to prove him by sending a series of obstacles. I believe they are very cruel, specially the one where he decides to kill all of Job’s children.

“While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.” Job 1.18

Anyways, Job continues to show complete faith and obedience towards the Lord but in the other hand, Satan continues to talk him into doubt. Because of this, God decides to keep sending misfortunes upon Job until reaching that maximum point where he explodes. Job curses God and begins to talk to a group of friends about his situation. This entire story made me realize a real life fact: bad things happening to good people. However, there is a quote in particular that grabbed my attention. As I understand it, it tries to explain why this happens. “shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Job 2.10. It is a rather interesting way to look at it if you think it through. Isn’t life all about balance? Why should we receive more blessings than curses? I know it’s easy to say until you’re in that position, but it made me reflect.

I guess that’s the point of it all, encouraging reflection. It sure worked in my case.

Are you sure it's Moses? (Exodus 3-20)

Wow. After reading exodus I realized how little I really know about the bible and the stories themselves. These chapters narrate the story of Moses, one that I practically grew up with. However it took me some time to really understand that I had heard this same story before.

As a matter of fact, hundreds of adaptations from bible stories exist. One that I would like to mention is the movie of Moses. As it tells, Moses was abandoned by his mother in a river, in her desperation to save his child form death. As he travels through the river, the pharaoh’s wife spots him and generously takes him in. As time goes by, Moses is told by God that he must free the people of Egypt, and do so in the name of God. However, it is no surprise that the pharaoh opposes Moses and refuses to set his people, his slaves, the Hebrew people free. Obviously angered, God sends unto his land a series of unfortunate plagues to amuse him with his power and make him finally give.

Thus, Moses and his people leave, having to undergo extreme circumstances. All these events lead to the final delivery of the Ten Commandments; Catholicism’s set of rules. But as I said before, having an idea of what the story was about and having it heard before, I was surprised by the tons of details and parts I had missed. For example:

“ And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.” Exodus 7

I’m not sure exactly why but I was never aware of the fact that God had actually granted Moses these supernatural powers, making him somehow a God. Besides, the entire concept of Moses obtaining these powers from God in order to perform such a difficult task was invisible to me.

Something I have also noted throughout the entire bible itself is the peculiar style in which it has been written. I just found out in class that it is actually a poem, which explains the awkward and unnecessary repetition of phrases, complex word choice, etc. I understand as well that a huge time has elapsed since it was first written, what might also explain these phenomenon.

Anyways. I enjoyed finally reading something that is easier for me to understand and relate to.

Tautology? (Genesis)

I'm starting to doubt where all these stories head to. Besides my previous thoughts about the bible being somewhat contradictive I begin to think it runs in circles. I must admit that as I read these last chapters I was somewhat distracted and couldn’t really catch the essence of the text. I’m not sure whether the cause of it is reading them without really focusing or if they are indeed a repetition of everything.

In my lack of understanding, I don’t feel there is much to blog about. I just wanted to bring up the fact that I’m beginning to spot tautological characteristics as the stories seemed to be stuck in one and only deprived ending. For example, I found the last line of Genesis 35 somewhat familiar.

“And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.” Genesis 35

Mmm Abraham? Maybe Noah? I don’t know if it might just be a coincidence or an uneducated sighting, I just wanted to emphasize on how boring repetitions can be.

Genesis 17-24

This was quite what I was looking for. In the upcoming chapters of the Genesis, 17-24, Abrams story keeps coming up, and with it, more and more contradictions.
It was a bit monotonous I must say, to read on and on about Abram’s journey, which I personally find meaningless in the bible. I must note some scenes that I find important in these upcoming chapters. First off, it is interesting that God would change Abram and Sarai’s names.

“Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee… And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.” Genesis 17

What I would like to focus on however, are two rather cruel and controversial events. To begin, I find it absolutely disturbing that the bible includes tales like that of Lot and his daughters. Not only are they sleeping with their old father in order to keep on the family name alive after a violent burning, but they do so when their father is in a drunken state. They basically take advantage of their old father in a disgusting way I must say. However, once again there seems to be nothing wrong in this act to the eyes of God.

Second, I liked the part where Abraham and Sarah are finally able to conceive a child, who they name Isaac. Sarah dies shortly after this, leaving Isaac and Abraham behind. I’m sorry if I sound offensive to some but I find it completely sick and cruel that God asks Abraham to give his son to him as a sacrifice. It is more incredible that Abraham is willing to do so but is stopped at the last minute. I mean, what was the whole purpose of it all? What a cruel way to prove one’s loyalty I must say.

Personally, I have gotten a lot out of reading the bible, especially because I’ve had the chance to explore it deeply, not like previous times where it had been interpreted for me.

Genesis 10-16

So, these were some interesting chapters. They begin to talks about populating the Earth once again, a task left to Noah and his family. As the story says, they went on and had many, many children. They each parted their own way, claimed land, ruled over it, and even created nations. It’s a nice way to see it I believe, a new perspective to see the creation of Earth as we know it. Nevertheless, what I found most interesting of all and would like to talk about is how God expresses that they were all united.

Yes, the Lord states that even though they each went their own way and ruled over their territories; men were united, under a single language, under a single God. This is a nice way to look at things. We are allowed, and we are in fact, divide amongst ourselves, however this is a reminder that we are all brothers and must not forget were we come from.

What came ahead however really shocked me. Apparently, mankind began to gain power as they united as one, and God feared their power would increase even more. Therefore, he restricts them from understanding one another, spreading them across the face of the Earth. I believe a subliminal message is hidden here. God didn’t want them to completely unite, he’d rather have them separated as if not wanting them to reach their full power. So what can this exactly mean? Brings up a lot of questions in me actually…

Later on, the story of Abram is narrated. It is a rather controversial one if you ask me, for it is once again a contradiction. Basically the story talks about Abram and his wife who is unable to conceive. Abram then has relationships with their maid and gets her pregnant. Wow. If you look at this piece of writing nowadays you find that this is completely unacceptable by society. So why is it that God even helps her after she leaves?

Now I’m not sure whether it is a matter of misunderstanding the text or rather powerful people in the institution manipulating its content. Something to look at as I read.

Genesis 3-9

As chapter 3 begins, we are exposed to Adam and Eve’s apparently unforgivable sin. As the bible narrates, Eve was tricked into eating from the fruit; the one God had forbidden them to even touch. Not only does she feed from it but encourages Adam to do so too. I believe this act has brought shame upon Eve and therefore, women in general, only for the fact that she was now blamed for committing the sin. Yes, it’s true that both of them were punished by God and forced to exit the Eden forever, however Eve is meant to be overruled by Adam and every wife by their husband. This discussion we had in class and I’ll stick to my position stating that this act is extremely unfair, especially because in past times mostly this has been misinterpreted into women becoming the inferior gender, completely false to me. Later on, we see how the bible can again be misleading, in quotes like these, favoring men.

-“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Genesis 9

Proceeding in the writing we now find Noah’s story, one that I’m pretty sure most of you have heard before. As future generations appeared upon Earth, one individual with the power to see into God was born; Noah. But at the same time God was concerned about the evilness of men on Earth. He decides to send and enormous flood unto humans, but picks Noah for an important task. He asks him to build an ark, find a pair of each animal and board the boat along with his family. After 40 days and 40 nights of no stopping rain, Noah and his ark find a place to settle and are ordered to reproduce freely. However I find this immensely contradicting. How come Noah and his family reproduce freely, that meaning in between family member? Isn’t that supposed to be against religions itself? Well this kind of things make me think once again about the credibility of the bible itself, and even supports my belief that it can be a tautology as well as contradict itself.

I’m finding it more and more interesting to read the bible not only because, as I said before, I can explore it in a different context, but fascinating doubts arise in my head.

The Sistine Chapel

As the Earth and the Heaven collide

The humble Adam on the grass lied.

As the finger tips come close

He has the sudden need for clothes.

The forbidden fruit has been taken

Thereby, entering the Garden of Eden is forsaken.

Upcoming generations for this act will pay

And away from luxury must stay,

For God is almighty and wise

And forever he will reign the skies.

Genesis 1-2

It was interesting to read the bible in such a different context. Besides the fact that for this one time I am actually reading it de depict and spot characteristics other than the original religious purpose it was written for, I enjoyed simply reading it in English rather than Spanish. I was surprised though that we were actually reading a somewhat holy text in an academic subject but well…

The first 2 chapters of the bible, Genesis 1 and 2, the entire creation is narrated and important points come up. I would like to bring up the obvious fact of God’s name to the Lord. Why is the writing so different from one chapter to the other? As we discussed in class, I was able to come up with the conclusion that the bible is indeed a compilation of texts, with related topics off course, and maybe even possible variations in order to manipulate its meaning.

-Chapter 1
[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
[4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
[5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

-Chapter 2
[7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
[8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

It was also interesting to see how women were put down in such a way that they were even created and practically brought out of men. “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” It’s a clear put down for us females to be drawn out in such a way, however personally I don’t feel that insulted as most people would.