Deja Vu

Genesis 35:1-15

God speaks to Jacob again and tells him to go settle in Bethel and build an altar to God. It seems quite odd to hear God speak of Himself in the third person. This follows the oddity of the trio of beings appearing earlier in the book vaguely refered to as God. It makes me think that maybe translators (and consequently all of us) don't really have a handle on how to personify God and maybe this confusion adds to our mystery of how God works.

So Jacob goes back and God tells him (again) that he will be called Israel from here on out. He tells him to be fruitful and increase in number (yikes- seems like this guy has filled his quota by this point) and repeats the promises of Abraham and Isaac.

If this were a film we'd be screaming at the screen- we get it! Move the plot along. But maybe this subtly illustrates the idea of the oral tradition of this time. Moses, the author, isn't around yet- how would these people know of the promises? Repitition- telling of stories from father to son(s)- reinforcement and retelling perhaps ad nauseum.

And maybe it subtly hints at our need to have God's promises repeated to us. We know, in a sense, what's waiting for us, at least in intangibles- but maybe when we're stretched to the limit, when we're tired and discouraged or sick or scared or just sick of the all the downsides, we need to open our copies of God's promises and be reminded that it really is worth it.