Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day Eighteen
Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis
Weird – “of strange or extraordinary character.”
Normal – “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern”
We left things yesterday with Isaac and Rebekah getting married. Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. And we know from Gen. 25: 26 that Isaac was 60 years old before Jacob and Esau were born. Again, I’m not the best in math, but even I can see that we are looking at 20 years of waiting…waiting on the promise of God to be fulfilled. That seems to be a theme in Genesis…waiting (and senior citizens having babies). Waiting is so difficult!
Add to that the stress of knowing that you are supposed to be the couple that fulfills the covenant promise of God…to become a great nation…to have all the nations of the world blessed through your lineage. The societal expectations for a woman to bear a male heir were a heavy burden for Rebekah, too. We touched on this when looking at Sarah and Abraham. Genesis 25: 21 says, “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.” Wow…barren.
I looked up the definition of the word “barren,” and when it is talking about land, it means “too poor to produce much or any vegetation.” When it talking about a place or a building, it means “bleak and lifeless.” That’s not a word I would associate with a person, just because that person had been unable to conceive a child. But that’s a pretty good description of how woman who could not have children were viewed in ancient times. Isaac loved Rebekah. He prayed for her.
Imagine how Rebekah must have felt when finally…after 20 years…she was finally pregnant. Having a baby solves all a couple’s problems, right? (Parents are laughing right now). In fact, Isaac and Rebekah’s babies (twins) were causing problems before they were ever born. They were wrestling each other inside Rebekah’s womb. And Rebekah asked a question that we have all probably asked 100 times over the last year… “[God] Why is this happening to me?”
It has been my experience that most of the time God does not answer our “Why me?” questions. We get “Wait.” We get “Trust me.” We want more of an explanation. Rebekah actually gets an answer. “The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” (Gen. 25: 23) The older will serve the younger? But it’s not supposed to work like that!
I have felt like that plenty of times…like “It is not supposed to be this way.” But over and over again in Scripture I see these difficult words…WAIT…TRUST.
Reflection: Have you ever asked God, “Why is this happening to me?” Did you get an answer?
Action: Read the following Scriptures: Psalm 27: 14; Psalm 37: 7, 9; Prov. 3: 5-6
Weird – “of strange or extraordinary character.”
Normal – “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern”
- Merriam Webster
We left things yesterday with Isaac and Rebekah getting married. Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. And we know from Gen. 25: 26 that Isaac was 60 years old before Jacob and Esau were born. Again, I’m not the best in math, but even I can see that we are looking at 20 years of waiting…waiting on the promise of God to be fulfilled. That seems to be a theme in Genesis…waiting (and senior citizens having babies). Waiting is so difficult!
Add to that the stress of knowing that you are supposed to be the couple that fulfills the covenant promise of God…to become a great nation…to have all the nations of the world blessed through your lineage. The societal expectations for a woman to bear a male heir were a heavy burden for Rebekah, too. We touched on this when looking at Sarah and Abraham. Genesis 25: 21 says, “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.” Wow…barren.
I looked up the definition of the word “barren,” and when it is talking about land, it means “too poor to produce much or any vegetation.” When it talking about a place or a building, it means “bleak and lifeless.” That’s not a word I would associate with a person, just because that person had been unable to conceive a child. But that’s a pretty good description of how woman who could not have children were viewed in ancient times. Isaac loved Rebekah. He prayed for her.
Imagine how Rebekah must have felt when finally…after 20 years…she was finally pregnant. Having a baby solves all a couple’s problems, right? (Parents are laughing right now). In fact, Isaac and Rebekah’s babies (twins) were causing problems before they were ever born. They were wrestling each other inside Rebekah’s womb. And Rebekah asked a question that we have all probably asked 100 times over the last year… “[God] Why is this happening to me?”
It has been my experience that most of the time God does not answer our “Why me?” questions. We get “Wait.” We get “Trust me.” We want more of an explanation. Rebekah actually gets an answer. “The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” (Gen. 25: 23) The older will serve the younger? But it’s not supposed to work like that!
I have felt like that plenty of times…like “It is not supposed to be this way.” But over and over again in Scripture I see these difficult words…WAIT…TRUST.
Reflection: Have you ever asked God, “Why is this happening to me?” Did you get an answer?
Action: Read the following Scriptures: Psalm 27: 14; Psalm 37: 7, 9; Prov. 3: 5-6
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Lenten DevotionalsWeird is the New Normal: Day OneWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisDay 5: Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: Day SixWeird is the New Normal: Day SevenWeird is the New Normal: Day EightWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis Day NineWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis: Day TenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day ElevenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day Twelve
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