OK this post isn't about the reading for today. I'll do that later today. I've been thinking about the sacrificing of children and the sending children away if they weren't from the original spouse. So then I started thinking about how this applies and the relationship of these words to current times.
We sacrifice children all the time now. Just in different ways. Here are ways I believe we are sacrificing our children in ways far worse than to the Lord.
We sacrifice them for our careers by sending them to daycares, being home for a few hours in the evening and right to bed and maybe on the weekends we spend time together. If the children are a part of a divorced family they have already been sacrificed in a way. If the parent re-marries and has additional children...how does the child from the previous marriage get treated?
We sacrifice our children for our own personal happiness all the time. We sacrifice our children to drugs, money, boyfriends or girlfriends, TV, and even leave them to be raised by their grandparents. We sacrifice time with our children to keep up with the "Jones'"
We allow society to raise our children instead of the parents. Our society believes they should determine how parents raise their children. Our society believes that everyone is equal and everyone will always be equal. The bible from the very beginning shows that things/life is not always fair! It is shown by favoritism in birth order, gender and lineage. Now, parents are so insistent that everything be given to their children and they have "no wants" that they have no desire to work for what they want in the future. Everything should be handed to them by society - They are entitled to it. No respect for family or God who according to the bible is the only one who is really able to provide for you.
I just had been thinking over the past few days that I am so critical of those in the bible but look at how horrible our own society is. Look at all that we are sacrificing for...these days you can't talk about God so look at how much we have sacrificed ourselves and our children.
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
sacrificing children
Today's reading is Genesis 21:8-23:20,Genesis 11:32 and Genesis 24:1-67
It discusses Hagar and Ishmael being sent away. When Isaac is approaching the age of being weaned (3 years old) Ishmael is 17 and Sarah said he was mocking and insisted to Abraham that Ishmael and Hagar be sent away which according to customs at the time it is not accepted to send away slave wives and their children but God tells Abraham that it is ok. God in turn promised to "make him a great nation" in regard to Ishmael.
I'm sure that it would be hard to send away a child after 17 years. I can't imagine the tension and how different the lifestyles were back then to have slaves and their children and to then cast them away. Especially when servants who provided such children were supposed to be treated favorably. Although it doesn't say how the children were supposed to be treated.
In this reading Abraham offers to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. This was the ultimate gesture in faith in God to willingly sacrifice your only child.
Sarah died and was buried in a cave in the field of Machpelah. This made Abraham realize his death was soon approaching and he sent his servant to his homeland to select a bride for his son Isaac. His servant returns with Rebekah and it was interesting to me that when she was notified that the man in the field would be Isaac she immediately covered herself.
In the other summaries that I have read it mentions that Sarah is the only female in the bible whose exact age is mentioned. She lived to be 127 years old. Isaac would be 37 years old at the time of her death and around the time that Abraham sends for a wife for him.
This is interesting because I would have thought the ages of marriage; etc would have been much younger.
In my newest bible The Chronological Study Bible it mentions in one of the little side notes that "human sacrifice is regarded as one of the worse offenses against God and humankind. It was one of the reasons the Canaanites were condemned. Archaeologists have dug up urns with ashes and the bones of children from the sacred precincts of carthage. Apparently, the Carthaginians sacrificed children as part of their religion."
It is interesting in a way Abraham sacrificed one child Ishmael by sending him away because Sarah told him to and God agreed and then a short time later was told to sacrifice his other child which they refer as his "only son" to God.
Sacrifices of any type these days is at times laughed at and looked down upon in society. Even the minor "sacrifice" of giving up something for lent. Imagine all the types of sacrificing that went on then and how much times have changed.
It discusses Hagar and Ishmael being sent away. When Isaac is approaching the age of being weaned (3 years old) Ishmael is 17 and Sarah said he was mocking and insisted to Abraham that Ishmael and Hagar be sent away which according to customs at the time it is not accepted to send away slave wives and their children but God tells Abraham that it is ok. God in turn promised to "make him a great nation" in regard to Ishmael.
I'm sure that it would be hard to send away a child after 17 years. I can't imagine the tension and how different the lifestyles were back then to have slaves and their children and to then cast them away. Especially when servants who provided such children were supposed to be treated favorably. Although it doesn't say how the children were supposed to be treated.
In this reading Abraham offers to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. This was the ultimate gesture in faith in God to willingly sacrifice your only child.
Sarah died and was buried in a cave in the field of Machpelah. This made Abraham realize his death was soon approaching and he sent his servant to his homeland to select a bride for his son Isaac. His servant returns with Rebekah and it was interesting to me that when she was notified that the man in the field would be Isaac she immediately covered herself.
In the other summaries that I have read it mentions that Sarah is the only female in the bible whose exact age is mentioned. She lived to be 127 years old. Isaac would be 37 years old at the time of her death and around the time that Abraham sends for a wife for him.
This is interesting because I would have thought the ages of marriage; etc would have been much younger.
In my newest bible The Chronological Study Bible it mentions in one of the little side notes that "human sacrifice is regarded as one of the worse offenses against God and humankind. It was one of the reasons the Canaanites were condemned. Archaeologists have dug up urns with ashes and the bones of children from the sacred precincts of carthage. Apparently, the Carthaginians sacrificed children as part of their religion."
It is interesting in a way Abraham sacrificed one child Ishmael by sending him away because Sarah told him to and God agreed and then a short time later was told to sacrifice his other child which they refer as his "only son" to God.
Sacrifices of any type these days is at times laughed at and looked down upon in society. Even the minor "sacrifice" of giving up something for lent. Imagine all the types of sacrificing that went on then and how much times have changed.
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