Changing Names

January 3, 2009, 8:51 am by dc-agape.

Genesis Chapter 35:1-15

Jacob has still not fulfilled his part of the bargain with YHWH.  Remember Genesis 28:20-21?  Well Shechem is over 75 miles from Beersheba, where his promised to YHWH would be fulfilled.  But YHWH calls the promise, and demands that Jacob go to Luz (Bethel), about 20 miles closer to Jacob’s father’s house.  Jacob realizes that he must destroy all the signs of worshiping foreign gods before meeting YHWH at Bethel.  He makes all his slaves, freeman, and family turn over any idols.  I am guessing that this includes Rachel’s stolen idols from her father.  It’s a good thing that those 10 commandments have not been written yet!  He also requires them to remove all ear rings, Christians beware!  Ear rings are of the Devil!!

Jacob brings everyone to Luz (soon to be called Bethel).  When he gets there he has a little face-to-face with YHWH.  Now YHWH again tells Jacob that his new name will be Israel.  He did that back in Genesis 32:28 when the two of them “wrestled”.  YHWH seems to do this a lot, which is he repeats himself.  It’s kinda like your elderly grandparent who can’t remember what they said a few days earlier.

But YHWH goes on: now YHWH is no longer just the god of Abraham, he is now “God Almighty”.  I guess it takes a number of believers to move up the ranks of godhood.  YHWH continues the “be fruitful and increase in number” theme.  He also promises that a nation and a king will come from Jacob Israel’s body.  YHWH finishes with the promise to give Canaan to the offspring of Jacob Israel.

From a gay atheist interpretation it would seem that YHWH has grown more powerful.  Yeah, he supposedly created the universe, but look at the fuck-up he did with Adam, Cain, and Noah.  He finally has a large group of people who follow his every whim!  Of course, most of these people do not have freewill; they were kidnapped by arrogant, lying, murderous thieves (I’m talking about Simeon and Levi).  And of course the local residents feared them and did not pursue them as it was written in the Word:

Gen 35:5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

Who in their right mind would tangle with such vile, evil people as the sons of Jacob Israel?  And these are the role models that we should follow to be closer to YHWH?

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