Torah" can rightly translated as "law," but the Torah is a lot more than just rules and regulations. "Torah" might also be translated as "rule," "instruction," or "principle," and it is sometimes useful to think of the Torah as simply "the way," i.e., instruction on the way we ought to live our lives.Please read through as much as you can of the lives of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 11-25). In what ways do the lives of these two figures reflect "torah" in the latter sense? Cite an instance where either Sarah or Abraham seems to you a particularly good example of how we ought (or ought not) to live our lives.
Well, when I think of the Torah as a way to live your life, I think the part in Genesis 16 is a perfect example of the faith in God. And angel came to Sarah and told her that she is important. It shows the faith that one needs to live a full life.
ReplyDeleteAnother part which really showed hot to live your life is Abraham's devotion to Lot. He goes off and rescues him. It is a sign that people need to protect their family and other who are close to them.
5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.
ReplyDelete8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
(Sorry for so Much text) This is a perfect example of how we ought to live our lives. Instead of fighting between each other, Abraham suggests they keep peace and instead move opposite directions. Both men decide to leave the fertile land instead of fighting amongst themselves.
Genesis 21:9-10 "But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, 'Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.'"
ReplyDeleteThis verse is a great example of how not to live. Sarah selfishly asks Abraham to banish one of his sons and his mother so that her son Isaac can inherit his fathers wealth.
Genesis 18:13-15 13“Then the LORD asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child when I am so old?’ 14Is anything too hard for the LORD? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son.’
ReplyDelete15Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. ‘I didn’t laugh,” she said.
‘Yes, you did,’ He replied. ‘You laughed.”
In this passage, we witness Sarah’s example of how we ought not to live our lives. God has promised to give Abraham and Sarah a son. Earlier, we witness Abraham’s skepticism at this promise, and now Sarah challenges the LORD, laughs at Him, and then denies her actions directly to Him. Rather than trusting that God can and will fulfill his promises, both Abraham and Sarah fail to demonstrate this trust.
I find it really interesting that the women throughout the book of Genesis do not trust the LORD. Sarah does not trust that the LORD will actually give her a son so she has Hagar Lie with Abraham, only to have a son of her own. Lots wife in Gen. 19 looks back on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, not taking heed to God command "Do Not Look Back" and she turned to a pillar of salt. Lots own daughters did not trust that God would give them a partner they laid with there father in Gen 19:30. Even Rebekah didnt trust that the younger would receive the blessing of the older; so she and Jacob tricked Issac into giving Jacob the blessing instead of Esau.
ReplyDeleteThe men in Genesis may ask for clarification of Gods promises and commands but the women tried to take matters in there own hands. They delibrately went against God's commands to gain there own wants and desires. It shows a complete lack of faith which seems to be the theme not only through Genesis but also the rest of the Bible.
Chapter 16 verses 1-6; Sarah told Abraham to have sex with her maid Hagar so Abraham could have a child. This doesn't exactly sound like a way we should live our lives. If my wife couldn't bear me a child and ordered me to impregnate someone else I wouldn't do that. That is just wrong. Adultery is a sin. And to add insult to injury, Sarah became was cruel to Hagar and ran her out. This is an example of how we ought not live our lives.
ReplyDeleteI personally find the story of when Abraham and Sarah go into Egypt an interesting view of how to maybe not live our lives. (12:10-20) Abraham was so afraid of being killed because of his beautiful wife that he decides to say she is his sister... Not thinking that would just eliminate trouble for him but end up with his wife being married to the Pharaoh. It's like he didn't think that plan through... How long were they in Egypt? How long did he allow his wife to be with another man? Did this cause major issues in their marriage? Because I sure think it would if I were married to Abraham... So I would put this scenario in the example of ways not to live your life...
ReplyDeleteI find the story of Abraham pleading for Sodom very interesting. (18:16-35) This is a good example of how people should live their lives. Abraham did not want destruction to be rained down upon anyone. Granted, he was probably mostly concerned about Lot and his family but he prayed and pleaded for the safety of the whole city and any righteous people in it. Abraham was a caring man and had come to the rescue of his relative Lot before. He cared for his family and others as well... that's a pretty good way to live. -Zach Kuhlman
ReplyDeleteI think that a good example of how not to live from their lives is when Abraham chooses to listen to Sarah when she asks him to sleep with Hagar. The results that come from it such as anger and jealousy show how it is not a good idea to have more than one wife and not a good way to live.
ReplyDelete1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
ReplyDeletethese are verse where its clear that God has asked Abraham to do something that he maybe wasn't comfortable with but he trusted in God that he was leading him in the right way. HE didnt know God's plan but his faith led him to following God's command and that is God's law following and trusting in him.
tom quigg
Genesis 22:9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."
ReplyDeleteThis part of Genesis is a very interesting part as it shows the loyalty that Abraham has to God which he reaffirms more than once. Every time Abraham reaffirms with God that he will follow whatever path is laid before him, God rewards him. This is the opposite of the wrath that God lays out upon man more than once in the Bible, but shows that God is all powerful yet forgiving.
One reason that the Torah can be considered "the way" is the fact that it show us how we are to live our lives. We are to trust in God in all things, even when we think differently than what he says. There are several examples from the life of Abraham that can show us why this is. One example of when Abraham didn't put his trust in God is in Genesis 12:10-20. In this section Abram goes to Egypt because of a famine, and instead of trusting God to take care of him and his wife he decides to try and save himself by lying to Pharaoh. As a result The Egyptians suffered God's anger and Abram was exposed as a liar to the Egyptians and was forced to leave. If he had trusted God he would have been able to stay in Egypt in relative safety.
ReplyDeleteAbraham also gives us examples of the good that can happen from trusting in God. One example of this comes in Genesis 13. In this chapter we learn that Abram's and Lot's families and flocks were getting to large to coexist. As a result they needed to separate. Now Abram could have chosen first and taken the better land, but instead he trusted God to lead him to where He wanted Abram to go, so he let Lot choose. Lot ended up choosing the land near Sodom and Gomorrah, which seemed like the better land, but in the end turned out to be a problem for him. After Lot left Abram, God came to him and reassured him that he would be with him and prosper him, and in Genesis we can see how God kept his promises and was with Abram his whole life and helped him prosper as he followed God's commands.
John Rawerts
I think that Genesis chapter 22 is a great example of how we should live our lives. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son that he loved greatly because God told him to. I think this is a great example of how people should listen and follow God's instuctions even if the instructions are hard or don't make sense.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Sodom and Gomorrah is an instance where Abraham shows us a good way to live. Abraham does not want God to destroy the cities as long as there is some person or persons that are rioghteous people. Even if there is only one righteous person in the entire city he does not want God to destroy the cities. He believes that it would be wrong to kill all the people including the ones that have not been corrupt. Abraham is thinking about more than just the people that have been corrupt, and if there is some glimps of righteousness that the city should be save. In the end, Lot and his family are the only onces considered to be righteous and God sends down angels to get them out of the city and the cities are destroyed.
ReplyDeleteIn Genesis 17:1 "When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared in front of him. The Lord said, I am God who can do anything. Walk with me and do not sin.". This instance shows that even though Abraham didnt believe in God for most of Genesis, he should trust in God to do the right thing and to trust in him to not lead him astray
ReplyDeleteAnd Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? (Genesis 18:23)
ReplyDeleteI think the whole conversation between God and Abraham in the second half of chapter 18 is tense but also a good example of the love for our fellow man that we should have that Abraham has for those in Sodom and Gomorrah. He even stands up to God, though I think he did so quite carefully, for what he believes is right, while the Almighty was adamant on taking out the cities.
Another good quality characteristic of Abraham is his trust. He showed an abundance of trust in the Lord in chapter 22 when he was asked to sacrifice Sarah's only son, Isaac. He knew there would be another sacrifice provided in his stead. In all honestly, though, if I had a supernatural voice telling me to sacrifice my miracle child, I would think it from the devil.
Genesis 12: 10-20. When Abram and Sarai go to Egypt, the instance when Abram asks Sarai to say that she is his sister in order to not risk his life. To me this is introducing lying which is one of the 10 Commandments that should not be done and they are doing so. With doing so, I see the point of where he does not want her to live a life she would not like. So they are lying in order to save themselves in order to do Gods will. This passage is giving me mixed messages about lying. So I see this passage as a way to not live my life because telling the truth is better than lying.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the torah, aside from a set of strict rules, is also a general guidline and outline for how to live your life and be holy. Also, these rules are not simply set out as a guideline for how to gain acceptance into heaven, these rules, and or laws, are there so that we can follow them in order to gain fufillment in our time spent here on earth. Looking at these laws and guidelines as, simply, a reference for how to get into heaven, would completely defeat the purpose. I really think that genesis chpt 22 is a great example of the utter devotion that god wants from us.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the torah aside from being a set of rules is also a guideline on the way you should live your life. Throughout Genesis 12-25 it seems as if angels and God are giving Sarah and Abraham guidelines on how they should live their life.
ReplyDeleteI believe all of Genesis Chapter 22 shows a great example of how we should live our lives. Abraham was told by God to take Isaac to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on a mountain. Abraham listens well to God, however once he tries to sacrifice his son an angel appears and tells him to not lay a hand on him, but instead sacrfice a ram. Even though God told Abraham to sacrifice his son he still listened even though it was really going to hurt him.
Genesis 17:9-27 is considered to be important in the Torah because it gives people the instruction and rules to follow by the Lord to be seen righteous in God's eye and seen as Gods people. By telling that all men and women should follow and keep the covenant of the Lord. Also that is should be passed to its descendants as well to keep the faith and keep the people righteous eyes of God, and being God's people.
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