THE 1310 Lecture 12

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Finishing Genesis

(Gen 45-50)

• Joseph is aware of God's providence in all events, even the unjust ones, to bring about salvation
• brothers had to go back to tell Jacob/Israel that his son was not dead... awkward!

New Testament Correlation

• "Woman, behold your son" (Jn 19-20)
  • Benjamin is the "beloved" — so too is John the "beloved disciple"
  • Joseph/Jesus and Benjamin/John share the same mother: Rachel/Mary
    • In analogy format, Joseph : Benjamin : Rachel :: Jesus : John : Mary
  • Moreover,
    • Joseph/Jesus is the only son (until Benjamin, at least)
    • Rachel/Mary is a woman of sorrow after son is taken

Accepting Forgiveness

• Joseph's brothers struggle to accept mercy/forgiveness that he gives
  • they think he still might have a grudge against them
  • They make up father's request to forgive them and offer to become slaves
  • Joseph wants none of this: "Can I take the place of God?" (Gen 50:19)

Exodus

Attempted Extermination of Israelite People

• New Pharaoh, not as lenient toward Hebrew people
• Fears loss of power (sign of tyrant?)
• decides to enslave the people
  • oppression → more babies
• tries to breed them out by asking midwives to kill male children
  • midwives don't obey
  • God blesses them with family, and numbers continue to rise
• Pharaoh loses patience and just tells everyone to throw all of the male children into the Nile

Moses' Origins

• Born from tribe of Levi (prefigures priestly role?)
• Mother puts him in makeshift basket-boat in the Nile
• Pharaoh's daughter finds him and asks Moses' mom to take care of him.
  • Jewish by birth, Egyptian by adoption (perfect mediator)
• (Moses grows up)
• Moses kills an Egyptian in anger after said Egyptian was found harassing a Hebrew person
  • word gets out
  • Moses skips town and go to Midian
  • Meets wife (guess where) at a well

Call of Moses

• God "hears" the cry of his people and "remembers" his covenant with them (more personification)
• God calls Moses on Mt. Horeb/Sinai (different name, same mountain... different authors or time period?)
• Moses becomes mediator between God and people
• God reveals self through covenant: "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob"
• God reveals his name as "I AM WHO I AM" (or "I AM" for short) … "I am existence itself"
  • Like how we give our names once we've established a deeper relationship with someone

Aquinas on Existence

Two types of being:

• that I am (I exist)
• what I am (I am a …)

God is both at once: he is what he does, and what he does is exist and make other things exist.

God's Promises to Moses

• Give LAND → to be reunited with God and creation
  • remember how sin results in exile, thus land is a sign of restoration
• Come back to this mountain ("You will serve God on this mountain")