Sunday, January 17, 2016
God's Favoritism
At this point in our reading, we have encountered many examples of God and also parents favoring one child over the other. This favoritism is not secret, but rather is overt and generally results in the favorite son receiving many more favors, honors, gifts, etc. Based on the various examples of favoritism we have seen throughout all of Genesis (beginning with Cain and Abel and ending with Joseph and his brothers) do there seem to be any qualities, characteristics or logical reasons behind who becomes the favorite and who does not? Or does it appear somewhat random? What do you think the meaning and significance of this favoritism is? Please be sure to discuss at least 3 sets of siblings in your response.
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At first, the decision God makes as to who becomes the favorite does appear to be rather random; after all, the only discernable reason as to why God favored Abel instead of Cain may have been because the author of the Bible had something against farmers and liked shepherds better. However, as Genesis progresses, there appear to be some reasons why one child is favored over the other. One simple yet clear example of this is Noah’s favoritism within his three sons. After the flood, when Ham saw his father naked, Noah cursed his line and made him “a servant of servants… unto his brethren” (Genesis 9:25). He then states that Japheth “shall dwell in the tents of Shem” and “Canaan shall be his servant” (Genesis 9:26). Logically, this makes some sense now: the line of Ham was cursed by Noah because Ham saw him naked, or in an undignified state. The brother Noah favored the most was Shem, because he was the firstborn son, and next was Japheth, who is implied to live under Shem in some way. Similar to how Noah favored Shem was how Isaac favored Esau. Although it was only explicitly stated in the text that Isaac liked Esau better because Isaac liked to eat the venison that Esau prepared, it could be that Isaac favors Esau since he is the elder brother. However, Rebekah’s favorite child was Jacob. When she was pregnant, God told Rebekah specifically that “one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23), which is most likely why she favors the younger brother, Jacob. I think that the favoritism between two siblings is significant because to me, it looks like the parents are deciding which child they are placing their hopes on to carry on the family line successfully. As it can be seen in the story of Esau and Jacob, once one particular blessing is given, it cannot be taken back or given to another. Therefore, to ensure that a family will have the best chance of continuing its line, all of the best blessings should be concentrated on a single child, so the parents must choose a favorite of their children to receive their blessings.
ReplyDeleteLike Robert has stated, God has been quite random on selecting favorites so far in the bible. I feel like the reason for God liking Abel more than Cain, is because meat is more important than vegetables and fruit. That's my opinion, but it might i have something to do with what Ms.Devine mentioned in class. She mentioned that the writers of the bible were against farmers, and maybe were shepherds. In the story of Noah and the flood, one of Noah's sons saw him naked, so Noah cursed him by making him be a servant to the two other sons. Which in a way favors the other two. This is not a example of God's randomized selections of favoritism. Even in the story of Isaac, isaac liked Esau better, because he was the elder and could do more than Jacob. I feel like in all the stories the parents are putting there fate into the most reliable child's hand. This act could be influenced by God. I feel like God could bless all the children instead of just one, because then there will be more children to continue the line which will make even more children.
ReplyDeleteI think that the favoritism of sons in Genesis could be interpreted a number of different ways. I agree with Robert in that it certainly does seem pretty random. At first glance, I thought I noticed a trend in who was the favorite, but that trend quickly fell apart when I considered Cain and Abel and how Abel was possibly only the favorite in the eyes of God because he was a shepherd. The trend also doesn’t appear with Ishmael and Isaac. It’s obvious that Isaac is the favorite probably because he is Sarah’s biological son and not the son of a bondwoman or mistress. Ishmael is cast aside when Isaac is born because once God blesses Sarah for her faith and gives her a baby because he is a child of sin (in a sense) because he was conceived between a husband and a mistress. When one takes the story of Esau and Jacob into consideration, it seems like a trend similar to how Jacob was treated in that story would appear in other stories as well. I noticed that the one God favors is not always the same son that the parents favor. In the story of Esau and Jacob, it’s obvious that Esau is the favorite in Isaac’s eyes but Jacob is the favorite in the eyes of Rebekah and God. So, I don’t think that so far, there’s a noticeable string of similarities between the favorite children. So far, it definitely seems like some of the favorites are based on circumstance. However, I do think that the concept of a favorite child has significance in Genesis because it may be a strategy of the writers or of the faith in general. I think such a concept may have been designed to mirror the reality of faith and to outline the fact that since in the bible there are God’s favorites, God also has favorites in life. It designs an idea that good faith and certain qualities are more favorable in God’s eyes. In the story of Genesis itself, I think the concept of favoritism is significant to which son is chosen to lead on the covenant and carry on a family’s line to create more descendants.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar thought process to Anna, Trey, and Robert as I thought that there was originally a trend of favoritism but that quickly fell apart. In the case of Cain and Abel, Abel definitely seems to be God's favorite due to his profession. Being a Shepard during biblical times would have been a more honorable profession to the jews, as they were a nomadic people. As for Ishmael and Isaac, it is apparent that because Isaac is the son of Sarah, he is treated with more respect.In the instance of Esau and Jacob, Jacob seems to be god's favorite. I believe this is due to his cunning nature. Esau is portrayed as being foolish and rash when he sells his birthright for a bowl of stew. The trend of intelligence or thoughtfulness impressing god is also true with Joseph. I think that the favored children are the people that children in biblical times were supposed to aspire to be.At this time, it seems that intelligence and thoughtfulness were valued over brute strength.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with the above commenters. THe choosing of the favorite sibling seems to depend on different things throughout Genesis. In the example of Cain and Abel, God picks his favorite based on the personal leanings of the authors of the Bible (farmers were disliked because they were rude and disrespectful to nomadic shepherds). The reason behind choosing Abel as the favorite didn't appear to be a lesson in the faith or a teaching for the readers. In the story of Isaac and Ishmael, I agree with Anna; Isaac was given to Sarah as a blessing by God, which makes the fact that he is the favorite reasonable. Finally, Jacob is chosen as the favorite over Esau. I am not really seeing too many similarities or trends between the selections that God makes. Perhaps the uncertainty surroudning this is a specific tool used to educate the readers; God is powerful, and we are not in the position to understand everything He does or question his reasons for doing it. As for the reason behind choosing a favorite at all, I believe that may be linked to the general idea that there must be a leader for the followers of God. Due to the large amount of inbreeding in Genesis, it's likely that there isn't much of an established social hierarchy since most people are members of the same family. Due to this, it may be necessary for God to select this leader and organize human society Himself.
ReplyDeleteAs far as we concern, descendants' favoritism in Genesis is either decided by God or by their own parents. The three most outstanding examples would be God and Abel, Noah and Shem , Isaac and Esau. In the first situation, God directly showed favoritism for Abel over Cain based on their offerings. Abel's firstlings were chosen over Cain's fruits and vegetables. In my opinion, God's choice can be interpreted in two ways. God didn't choose the fruits because it was either a reminder of the fruit of knowledge which Adam and Eve have eaten or it was based on social context of the Hebrews as mobile shepherds rather than stationary farmers. As for the second story of Noah and his sons, the reason was clear in Noah's rage against Canaan when he was seen naked while drunk by Canaan. Under the Genesis previous context of Adam and Eve, adult nudity was considered unacceptable and to Noah, it was a disrespectful act. In addition, he also blessed Canaan's two brothers, Shem the first born and Japheth the youngest of shared wealth and power while Canaan and his line will remain slaves to them forever. The final example would be Esau and Jacob. Esau, according to Genesis, was Isaac 's favorite. However, Jacob received support from both God and Rebekah. From the moment the twins were born, there were signs pointing towards Jacob greatness over his older brother. We can confirm God's choice and his influence on Rebekah's decision in his clear statement "And the Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb; two people will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." (Genesis 25:23). This statement was further supported by a later symbol, "Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them", the act of "holding heels" foresaw a follow up take over of the first born power (Genesis 25:26). On the other hand, Esau was Isaac pick for both birthright and blessing. His favoritism could be understood by the fact that Isaac loves to eat wild meat and Esau, in all coincidence, was an experience d hunter. More notably, he's also the firstborn who is destined to inherit the legacy in Genesis. Jacob then eventually, by wit, managed to win over both birthright and blessing from Esau, who proved not deserving Isaac's legacy by trading his entire birthright to Jacob just for a bowl of stew that he was too lazy to cook on his own. The way how these characters made their bias choice on descendants is truly fascinating to study because of its connection to Genesis ideologies and context, as much as God's different way of intervening in these decisions.
ReplyDeleteI think that the favoritism in the bible is done for a reason. The favored ones, are the chosen people and therefore their bloodline and descendants are also chosen to be in God’s favor. Throughout the bible the favored ones usually receive many favors, honors, gifts and etc. God favored Abel, and not Cain. Abel is a shepherd, while Cain is a farmer. Shepherds travel around the lands a lot. The author of the bible is Jewish, and back then the Jewish people travel around because they don’t have a permanent home. While the Christians tend to stay in one place. In this case, Abel represents the Jewish people, while Cain (who farms) represents the Christians. That is why God favors Abel rather than Cain. Another example is Noah’s favoritism within his three sons. Noah cursed his son, Ham, because he saw his dad naked. Noah cursed Ham’s descendants, “a servant of servants… unto his brethren” (Genesis page 9). Like Robert mentioned, Shem is the most favored because he is the oldest son. In the bible, the oldest son is usually more respected and more privileged than the rest. Another example is between Esau and Jacob. Isaac favored Esau, while Rebekah favored Jacob. Rebekah favored Jacob because god told them that the elder son shall serve the younger. This is a different case from what we have seen throughout the book, like I mentioned earlier, the eldest usually has more power over the younger one. Yet, Isaac might have favored Esau because he is the oldest despite what god said.
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Like Pin said I also feel that favoritism in the Bible is not just random. I think that with Cain and Abel, like we talked about Abel was favored because he was a Shepard who is always on the move, while Cain was a farmer who mostly stays in one place throughout his life. This was favorable because like previously mentioned the author of the Bible was Jewish and therefore probably nomadic like the Shepard. For Noah and his children, Noah picked Shem as his favorite because he is the oldest, which makes sense because being older can mean more wise. Ham could not be Noah’s favorite child because he saw Noah naked and he cursed him, I think that he was cursed for this because it sort of took away from Ham’s innocence. However I think that it is ironic, that for Isaac and Rebekah’s children God told her that the younger sibling will be served by the older one which is strange for God to know before they are even born but once we get to know Jacob and Esau it makes more sense as to why Jacob is chosen as the favorite. Going back to whether favoritism is random or not in the Bible I feel that it is not because each of the siblings that are favored seem to have certain characteristics, like being honest and loyal which would really appeal to God and make him favor them. It is just strange that God knows his favorite before we can even tell that the sibling has these liked characteristics.
ReplyDeleteAfter the books we have read in Genesis, I would say that the favoritism between siblings has depended on the situation. With Cain and Abel, there is a stated reason why God showed favoritism towards Abel because Abel provided meat, while Cain offered God some of his crops. We discussed how, in the biblical times, though the perspectives of the authors of the bible, that shepherds were accepted more than farmers. If I remember correctly, I think this was because the Hebrews were the shepherds and how the farmers were not hospitable towards them when they wanted to trade or stay for a night (etc.). Another example of a time when there was a concrete significance for a favorite child was in the event of Isaac and Ishmael. Like Anna said, it is sort of blatant that God would choose Isaac because he was the actual son of both Abraham and Isaac, while Ishmael was the son of Abraham and the bondwoman. In the Bible, the story follows the favorite, while any other sibling is usually never mentioned again. In this instance, although Ismael is not seen as the favorite in the Bible, he is seen as the important one in the Islamic tradition. The last sibling group I wanted to reflect upon was Jacob and Esau. This didn't follow the theory I was developing. Unless, there is something I missed, I didn't spot a logical reason why God favored Jacob. Interestingly, Jacob was also favored by Rebekah, while Esau was the favorite of Isaac. This, I believe, is the first example when the parents show their feelings towards one child, that makes us believe that they are their favorite and that each parent favors a different child. For this example, I would say it was just random. Like I said earlier, the favorite child is the center of attention of the Bible and however is the favorite determines which offspring will also be "monitored".
ReplyDeleteMany of the favorites God picks tend to be people who he has had a direct hand in influencing all throughout their life, generally starting even as early as their conception. With the example of Cain and Abel, God directly influenced their birth (i.e. Adam and Eve are cast from Eden and lose their innocence/naïveté) and all throughout their lives he (God) makes himself present, choosing his favorite (Abel) which we established during class was due to the predilections and biases of the author(s) whom the Bible was written by. With the second example of Noah’s children, God also plays a direct role in both of their lives, a precursor to becoming a favorite. This model is applied to the eldest/second-brother model over and over again. Another example being Jacob and Esau, two brothers whose lives have both been heavily influenced by God are chosen to be “favorites”. God’s favoritism represents the values of the people he (as a character) are being written by, just like Cain and Abel and the farmer/nomad dynamic.
ReplyDelete-Eilidh
I think that favoritism plays an important role in the bible. I have observed that God kind of bases his favoritism on reoccurring qualities that these people possess. For example, with Ishmael and Isaac, god favorites Isaac because he is the son of Sarah and is treated with fairness. Another example is Cain and Abel, in this instance, Abel is God’s favorite because of his profession as a Shepard which was a more respected profession during that time period. Now, in the instance of Esau and Jacob, God appears to prefer Jacob more than his brother. I think this is because of his ability to be keen. On the other hand his brother is depicted as quite careless and irrational because he give ups his birthright for a simple bowl of stew. I believe that God, often seeks intelligence and careful thinking when he finds people that he believes are a better influence. Also, it seems that these traits were more about metal strength than actual physical strength.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading the blogs I was going back-and-forth between whether or not I thought that the favoritism was random in the stories that we have read this far. In one way I think it is random because I have not found one consecutive thing that relates with every brother pair. But on the other hand if you look at each instance there are reasons for why that particular child is chosen. For example maybe there was not a reason that was given in the story about why God favors Abel rather than Cain however in class we talked about how maybe the authors’ backgrounds and beliefs had something to do have something to do with it. In two of the other stories age seemed to play a role in it. Joseph and Esau were the oldest, the first born sons. But on the other hand age didn't really matter between Isaac and Ishmael. Because one was the child of a bond woman, and one was the child that was granted by God and was the legitimate child. Another interesting thing to keep in mind that was discussed a little bit in my classmates blogs. Is that just because God choose one child to be his favorite, doesn't always mean that the parents choose the same child.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of Genesis, God's favoritism seemed random, as Robert said. Later in Genesis, we the father favors the child of his wife more than if he had a child with a someone else. For example, Isaac was favored because he was the son of Sarah, while Ishmael was the son of Hagar, a slave. Although God "blessed him with a great nation," Ishmael will not be part of the chosen people, unlike Isaac. Another example is Joseph and his eleven brothers. His ten older brothers did hard labor because Isaac really wanted to marry Rachel but she was thought to be barren. His ten children with Leah is thought to be illegitimate. Although it is curious why Jacob and Rachel favored Joseph more than his younger brother Benjamin. It's sometimes that God and the father favor different children. For example, God favored Jacob and but Isaac favored Esau. However, there are times where God and the father both obviously favor one child. For example, Joseph was given a robe of many colors and God gave him the ability to interpret dreams. In the story of Joseph, Jacob and Rachel openly favor Joseph more than his brothers. Even though, Benjamin came from the same mother of Joseph. I think parents from Genesis try to put all of their effort and attention to one child to ensure that child is successful.
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