Entry Exercise

Sentence Type Quiz

Jacob and EsauWhen Isaac was 40, he got married to Rebekah. While pregnant, she was told: Two nations are in your womb, two separate peoples shall issue from your body; one people shall be mightier than the other, and the older shall serve the younger. Genesis 25:23

2Jacob and EsauThe differences in the twins is noted in how Esau traded his birthright (the double inheritance and power due him because he was born first) for a bowl of lentil stew (Genesis 25:27-34). Esau was the outdoorsman, active, physical and impetuous. Jacob was a shepherd, stayed closer to home and was his mothers favorite. According to the text of Genesis, Esau got what he deserved because of his impetuosity and the fact that momentary hunger pangs weighed more on him than his status as elder son.

3Jacob and EsauAn old English translation calls the red lentil stew for which Esau trades his birthright a mess of pottage. Mess originally meant a meal and is still used in this sense in military and camp settings ( mess hall). Pottage is a thick stew. The phrase has come to mean anything of trivial or temporary value for which one trades away a lasting treasure in short, a bad deal.

4Jacob and EsauAccording to Genesis, Esau despised his birthright because of the responsibility associated with being the elder son initially, and later because of the way it was essentially stolen from him. When an aged and dim-sighted Isaac decided to carry out the ceremonial blessing and inheritance to Esau, Rebekah moved quickly to claim the blessing through outright deception.

5JacobDespite the deception, however, it was once again the younger man whom God marked for special destiny, foreshadowing the bitter family feud to come. Both Esau and Isaac reacted to the deception in very human ways. Despite Isaacs sadness and Esaus pleas, Isaac had given his blessing and had to abide by his actions. Jacob went off to live with Rebekahs brother Laban because he could not bear the torment after Abrahams death.

6Jacobs DreamGenesis affirms that Jacobs inheritance and blessing were part of Gods plan. An angel visited Jacob in Genesis 28:12 : And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to the heaven: and behold, the angels of God ascending and descending it.The angels went up and down it much like a Jacobs ladder toy or the waterfall works today. A Jacobs ladder is also the name given to rope ladders on ships.

7Jacobs DreamJacobs dream occurred while he was in the wilderness alone. In his dream, Jacob renewed the covenant with God that had been made with Abraham (Jacobs grandfather). God also pronounced a blessing on Jacobs descendents. When Jacob awoke from the dream, he said, Surely the Lord is in this placeThis is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:16-17). He renamed the spot, Bethel, meaning house of God.

8Allusion ConnectionIf you are looking for literary allusions, you may want to read:Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner. He uses biblical allusions, humor and insights to tell these stories set in the south. Billy Buddy and Moby Dick by Herman MelvilleEast of Eden by John SteinbeckThe Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

9I looked through the Gideon Bible in my motel room for tales of great destructionso it goes. Those were vile people in both those cities, as is well known. The world was better off without them. And Lots wife, of course was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back and I love her for that because it was so human. So she turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes.-Slaughterhouse Five pg 22, Kurt Vonnegut

JosephJosephs brothers attempt to kill him because he is the favorite and they are jealous (plus, Joseph tends to have dreams and premonitions which he gladly shares with his brothers)They throw him down an empty wellThey leave him to die, not knowing he has been rescued.

JosephJoseph comes into favor with the Pharaohs family.The wife of Potiphar (an officer of the Pharaoh) becomes jealous of his success, and attempts to seduce Joseph, but he repeatedly resists. As a result, a Josephite was often considered to be a man who could resist the temptations of a female.Once when alone, however, Joseph rejects her again and she grabs his coat and begins screaming that he attempted to seduce her.

JosephAs a result of Potiphars wifes testimony, Joseph is sent to prison.While in prison, Joseph meets a baker and butler who offended the king of Egypt. They tell him their dreams, and Joseph interprets them (the butler will be reinstated to power in 3 days; the baker will be hanged in 3 days). In three days time, Josephs premonitions come true, but Joseph is forgotten about.

JosephAfter 2 years, the Pharaoh has a dream, and the butler remembers Joseph. Joseph is called to interpret the Pharaohs dream, and he tells the Pharaoh what his dream means: there will be seven years of feast followed by seven years of famine.Joseph is appointed a member of the Pharaohs staff and is put in charge of managing the stores of food so that Egypt will survive the famine in seven years.Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Josephs Coathttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51f9uEYGeKw

JosephDuring the time of famine, Josephs brothers are sent by Jacob to buy grain for the family.When Joseph sees them, he recognizes them as his brothers. Rather than admit what he realizes, however, he decides to persecute them.He tells them that they must leave one of the brothers behind, and return with their youngest brother, Benjamin, in order to get the grain. JosephNot knowing the secret of their connection, Josephs brothers return with Benjamin. They return with gifts, fruits and money. After planting a silver cup on his brother, the men come back crying. Joseph, unable to contain himself any longer, reveals his identity.

Cultural ConnectionIn Genesis 49:9, Judah, from whom Judaism derived its name, is referred to by his father (Jacob/Israel) as a young lion. The lion of Judah came to symbolize his tribe.In the 20th century, this title was claimed as a royal epithet by Haile Selassie I, emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Selassie (who was originally known as Ras Tafari), a proponent of African independence from colonialism, has become the focus of devotion by members of a Jamaican religious movemetn known as Rastafarianism. Reggae and ska music, both influenced by the Rastafarian movement, employ lion of Judah as a song title and band name.ExodusThe word Exodus is from the Greek and literally means the road out. It is now used to describe any mass departure or emigration.The land that was to be the destination for Moses and the Israelites was referred to as a land of milk and honey. That phrase is now common for any vision of Utopia or for any situation for which living is easy.ExodusExodus 3:13 -15: Ehyeh: This is not a noun, but a verb. It means I am that I am or I will be what I will be.One common interpretation is that humans cannot fully understand the essence of God, and only understand Him by his actions and attributes. In fact, Jewish tradition forbids speaking Gods name which is denoted in the Bible as YHVH (Yaweh)

ExodusSongs known as Negro spirituals grew out of the experience of the slaves in the American South. Meeting in small, secret groups, slaves set the Bible to music. No account had more of an impact than the book of Exodus. The call-and-response song Let My People Go is one of the most popular spiritual songs.

ExodusWhen Israel was in Egypts landLet My People GoOppressed so hard, they could not standLet My People GoGo down, Moses, way down in Egypts landTell ol Pharoh to let my people go!Thus said the Lord, bold Moses saidLet My People Go

ExodusFrom the time of his birth, Moses was blessed by God. Near Horeb, the mountain of God, and angel appeared to him in a flam of fire. Turning around, Moses realized that God was calling on him personally. This indicated that Moses was one of the great prophets of the Hebrew Scripture.Prophet: One who speaks for God

ExodusOne Jewish commentary on Exodus said that God chose to appear to Moses as a flame in a scrubby desert thorn bush, to teach you that no place on earth, even a thorn bush, is devoid of Gods presence. Many western writers explore the theme of encountering God in nature, as did Elizabeth Barrett Browning in Aurora Leigh:Earths crammed with heaven,And every common bush afire with God,And only he who sees, takes off his shoes The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.

PlaguesRivers ran with bloodFrogs infested the landGnats swarm over EgyptFlies swarm over EgyptA deadly disease struck the Egyptian livestockFestering boils torture people & animalsHail kills beasts and peopleLocusts devour the cropsThick darkness descends on EgyptThe firstborn of all Egyptians die

PlaguesAll of the plagues seemed to thwart one of the popular Egyptian deities, the greatest of these being Ra, the god of the sun.Repeatedly, Moses demanded, Let my people go. After each plague began, Pharaoh at first agreed, but as the plague subsided, Pharaoh hardened his heart and changed his mind.

PlaguesFor the final plague that would allow Moses to lead the Israelites (Jacobs descendants) out of Egypt, we gain the Jewish practice of Passover. God spoke to Moses: You shall observe this rite as a perpetual ordinance for you and your childrenAnd when your children ask you, What do you mean by this observance? you shall say, It is the passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses. (Exodus 12:24-27)