BibleProject - God as the Generous Host - Generosity E2

Episode Date: August 12, 2019

In part 1 (0-15:00), Tim presents God as an amazing and generous host to humanity. Tim then dives into Genesis and re-examines the stories through the lens of generosity. The biblical portrait of evil, Tim shares, begins with a desire for what is not rightly mine and then taking it for oneself. Genesis 3:1-6 Now the snake was more shrewd than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable for making wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Beginning in verse 1, Tim notes, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden” is an act of subtly undermining God’s generosity. Again this subtlety is seen in verses 4-5: “You will not die. For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like elohim, knowing good and evil.” In other words, the serpent is portraying God as holding out on humanity, withholding knowledge and good things. Finally, in verse 6, the word “desirable” (Heb. nekhmad, “the object of covetous desire”) combines with the action “take.” Humans become aware that there is something they can desire and take, presumably for their own benefit. Tim and Jon hypothesize that the tree is placed in the middle of the garden to represent that the human choice to do what is wrong is always in the center of our lives. We are always only one or two decisions away from ruining our lives and the lives of many others. In part 2 (15:00-26:45), Tim notes that humans don’t know what to do with abundance. We bend abundance to hoard and act selfishly. Tim then pivots to the story of Cain and Abel. Jon explains that he feels God is more generous with Abel than with Cain. Tim says this seems to be an intentionally ambiguous gap in the narrative. Tim says he thinks Genesis is developing a theme of the ‘mystery of election.’ God does seem to choose or favor one person over another, but that doesn’t mean it’s at the complete expense of the other person. In Genesis 4, Cain’s jealous anger at his brother compels him to take life instead of give. The narrative tells us in 4:2 that Cain was “a worker of the ground” but denies his role as a “keeper of his brother.” This is why murder is such a heinous crime in the Scriptures: to take life gratuitously is to act as if it is yours to “take,” rather than recognizing that your role as a human is to “give” life and participate in its flourishing. In part 3 (26:45-end), Tim and Jon continue to discuss the Cain and Abel story and how the traits of “taking” continues in the following stories in Genesis. In Genesis 6, the sons of elohim “see” the daughters of humanity are “good” and they “take” what they want. Then in Genesis 11 in the story of Babylon, the people say, “let us build for ourselves a city and a tower, and it’s head will be in the skies, and we will make a name for ourselves.” In the story of Cain and Abel, Tim notes, God tells Cain that if he does good, he too will be exalted. Instead, Cain chooses to take his brother’s life, rejecting God’s generosity and claiming the life of his brother. Thank you to all our supporters! Find all our resources at www.thebibleproject.com Show Produced by: Dan Gummel, Tim Mackie Show Music: Defender Instrumental by Tents Spiral by KV Twin Moon by Ashley Shadow Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hey, this is Cooper at Bible Project. I produce the podcast in Classroom. We've been exploring a theme called the City, and it's a pretty big theme. So we decided to do two separate Q and R episodes about it. We're currently taking questions for the second Q and R and we'd love to hear from you. Just record your question by July 21st

and send it to us at infoatbiboproject.com. Let us know your name and where you're from, try to keep your question to about 20 seconds and please transcribe your question when you email it in, try to keep your question to about 20 seconds, and please transcribe your question when you email it. That's a huge help to our team. We're excited to hear from you. Here's the episode.

Hey everybody, this is Tim at the Bible Project and you're listening to the Bible Project podcast. Last week, John and I started a new conversation about the theme of generosity in the storyline of the Bible. This is connected to a new video that we're making at the Bible Project. In the last episode, we explored some of G.S.'s most famous teachings about freedom from anxiety and learning about the generosity and abundance that God has in store for his people. Jesus walked around with this deep conviction that despite all of the pain and suffering that he saw going on in the world, despite all the pain

and suffering that he himself experienced, he still believed that Yahweh, the God of Israel, the creator of heaven and earth, is an extremely generous host who has given an overabundance of resources and opportunities to all of us. Jesus was able to manage that tension and think it through because you can see in his teachings, his heart and his mind were soaked in the Hebrew scriptures, and specifically the portrait of the generous God in Genesis 1 and 2. So that's what we're going to look at today. We're going to explore the creation story in Genesis 1 and how it portrays God as an extremely generous host whose packing creation full of abundance and opportunity. We're also going to look at the story of Adam and Eve, how they

forfeit and take advantage of God's generosity. And then we're going to go into the next story outside of Eden. We're going to explore the story of Cane and Abel, which one way to think about it is a story about one person who gets angry about God's seeming generosity to another. How do you respond when you feel like God's being more generous to somebody else but not to you? And that raises an even more fascinating question that keeps getting focused on throughout the storyline of the Bible, the concept of God choosing a whole line of people in being extremely generous to them, the family of Abraham. John and I explore the topic of election and why it is that God seems to be generous to some,

more than he is to others, or maybe we're just thinking about this all upside down. We're going to explore these questions and more today on the podcast. So thanks for joining us, and here we go. Thanks for joining us, and here we go. So we're talking about the theme of generosity in the storyline of the Bible. You twitched a little when you said theme. You're still not there. You're still not a theme.

I might convince myself by the time we're done with this conversation. Yeah, we're talking about generosity in the storyline of the Bible. Yeah. We're going to make a video. We've been pondering along with Jesus and the poets of the Psalms. The portrait of God is a generous host in Genesis 1.

This image of God throwing this amazing party. Yeah. You show up into existence and an amazing party. Yeah, you wake up. You wake up and you're going to go to someone's house. Yeah. You literally you wake up. But let's say you did go to someone's house and an amazing party. You wake up. You wake up and you're ready for it. You go to someone's house. You literally wake up. But let's say you did go to someone's house for an amazing party and everything's hosted.

It's amazing. All these everything's gift. You're not gonna worry. You're gonna have a good time. Yes, yes, right. You're sitting there like, oh well. How do I make sure I get enough drinks? And like, you know.

Yeah, that's right. Where's my little corner of the party? I better grab three from the tray How do I make sure I get enough drinks? And like, you know? Yeah, that's right. Where's my little corner of the starter? I better grab three from the tray when the person walks by. Wait, that person's using the hot tub? I thought, darn it. Wait, just find more over there. Yeah, that's good.

You're not worrying. That's Jesus to say in like... That's Jesus in Luke 12. Like, if you really believe this God's a host of an amazing event, you're just gonna enjoy the event. Which then also feels careless when it comes to suffering, but that's what we're gonna talk about is why is there suffering, kind of an amazing event? That's right.

Surely Jesus obviously isn't a stranger to suffering and death. Look at what happened to him. And of course, he grew up in a beautiful land of abundance, northern Israel Palestine. But that was full of impoverished Jews because of the Roman occupation. So how can he foster this worldview in that kind of setting? Well, the story on which Jesus was raised offers a powerful explanation for why there's such poverty in a world of abundance. It's like you show up to a party and also you notice people acting like they're not at a party. And they're just doing all these weird things that you shouldn't do at a party.

Like, they're forming these factions and they're making sure certain people don't have access to certain things. They take the order of trays. Yeah, they're all those ours now. And then they begin to stack them in the den. Yeah. And they only give certain people access to the den.

Yeah, then they block off the den from the rest of the people and they form a little group. Yeah, and everyone's like, what is happening? And where's the host? Like someone needs to take care of this. Totally. We need him to act and like come back and make sure this party goes right.

Okay, good. Ooh, let's make this a meta story. Yeah. For, okay, so that. The the banquet the banquet is Genesis one and then You start seeing people steal or durf trays And smuggle them into the den Yeah, and then they form a little pack and then you start to ask yourself like what why are they acting that way? Yeah, what's what's underneath that? What's the psychology?

Yeah, they should just be enjoying themselves with everyone else. So foolish. Why are they being so short-sighted, such a limited perspective? What would motivate people to act that way? And Genesis chapter 3 offers us a portrait of why humans would do something like that. And it actually begins a portrait that's gonna be filled out in the storyline of the Bible of why humans would steal the order. So good.

I like it, John. Yeah. That's helpful. Totally. I'm taking this chocolate fountain for myself. That's true. Oh, with the strawberries. With the strawberries.

They're all mine. This is ridiculous. What a ridiculous thing to think about. Yeah. Okay, so Genesis 3 opens, telling us that there is a snake there that's one of the creatures of the field that the Lord God had made. That's the wording. But it's more true. Yeah.

It's a little sharper than the rest. He shows up at the parties like, you know what? Yeah. I think there's something more sharper than the rest. He shows up at the party's like, you know what? Yeah. I think there's something more here we can do. Well, remember, this isn't an inherently negative word. This word, shrewd. It gets translated as crafty in all English, modern English. Sounds negative.

But this word appears only elsewhere in the book of Proverbs, where it's a neutral or positive trait. It's somebody who sizes up all the options and possibilities of a situation and can come up with really creative clever solutions. Yeah, and strengths finders, that's called strategic. That's right. Yeah, that's right.

Exactly. The snake was more strategic. And so he sees all of this abundance and then happens in him that we're not told. It's not actually developed until later in the biblical story. You find out why this creature did. Yeah, this back story is creature. Yeah, you have to wait.

Yeah, till Genesis 11 and then really Isaiah 13 and Ezekiel and book of Daniel. And we'll make a video about that. We'll make a video about that. But all that happens and he approaches the woman and says, the first thing he tries to undermine is the trust that the host is generous. Indeed, did God really say that you can't eat from any of these trees? That's ridiculous. Yeah, he didn't say that. This is the exact opposite. But and the woman corrects him.

No, no, it's the opposite. We can eat from any. But just now the sentence, now the option is out. It's possibilities out there. Yeah. Now you're thinking it. Now you're thinking it. Yeah.

Don't think of pink elephants. Yeah. Now you're thinking about it. Yeah. Wait, no, that's not what God said. Yeah. Right? It's the power of... That's true though. Suggestion.

That's right. Yeah. Even if it seems absurd or impossible, it becomes somewhat more possible once you say it out loud. What'd you say to that? What'd you plant the idea? Yeah.

Did God say you can't eat any of the food at the party? No, no, no. He said that we could. Oh yeah, actually, but there's that one thing that we are not supposed to eat from the tree that's in the middle of the garden. And it is just here, it just assumes that you've internalized what knowing good and evil means and what it would mean to take that for yourself. Notice what she says, but God said, about that tree, you shall not eat from it or touch it.

Which God never said the touch thing, or you will surely die. The serpent said to the woman, no, once again, oh no, no, no. That or derf play is fine for you to eat. Go right ahead. So different tactic now. First, it was just that power of suggestion. Now it's an alternative story. First it was just that power of suggestion. Now it's an alternative story. Yeah. God told you, you're going to kill yourselves, you're going to die if you seize to know and discern good evil on your own wisdom. Actually, that's not the case.

The opposite's the case. Here's what God knows, but isn't telling you. When you eat from that, your eyes will be opened and you'll be like Elohim. You'll be like the divine in the capacity to know and not just know, to know good evil means then to define it, to make decisions about it. I mean we're only five verses in and it's the full deception package is right there. Yeah, you called the truth and I was gonna evil like an O'Derv plate. I did. Where this story starts to feel weird or absurd is like having an O'Derv plate in the

center of the banquet table and then saying, guys, just stay away from that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But there's something so central to this urge, yeah, yeah, to take control ourselves. It is central. It's like always there right in the center. That's a good point. I pondered two times in Genesis one through three, it's positioned in the middle.

In the middle of the garden. Garden, it's always bummed me out. I lied it. Perhaps one way to think about that is, it's describing the ever present possibility of me to abuse my existence and the abundance or opportunity that I have. It's ever present.

In other words, some people would say it's in the middle and they would blame God for that. Why do you put it right there? Have you heard that line before? Totally, yeah. Put it in the corner. Put it in the forehead. I think I've heard you've been. Lock it up. Yeah. Yeah.

The point is, but that's not true to human experience. It's always, it's always present. It's always a possibility for me to ruin. I think this all the time. It was my kids will do this. You know, we'll be having a great moment at dinner. And then like one of my sons will just like, yeah, August did this the other night. He just was eating rice and we are in this great conversation and then he just ejected it all out of his mouth. Just spewed rice all over the table for no good reason. He just wanted to see what would happen. And it did on my face and it's like, then all this great conversation got and was over. We're just one small choice away from ruining the party.

Yeah. Party foul. Yeah, it's always present. It's in the middle. John, thank you. Yeah, right. For some reason that's locking in for me in a way I haven't quite thought about it before. Yeah, it's in the middle.

I've thought about in terms of that you can't get from one side of the garden to the other without walking by it. Yes, it's, yes. And another way you can think about it is like no matter where you're looking in the garden, like it's in your field of view. Yeah. It's like, it's ever-looming. Correct. Yes.

Yes. Reality. That's right. And so remember, actually, I want to do, in our Genesis 1-2 series, I want to do a whole video about the tree. Yeah. In our Genesis 1 and 2 series, I want to do a whole video about the tree. Because sacred trees representing either the gift of life from the gods or sacred resources from the gods, this is a motif in ancient Near Eastern, art and literature. The Tree of Life. There's Egyptian trees of life and Babylonian, you can go find drawings of them,

Google them and you'll find them. They're cool looking. So yeah, I think a biblical author is taking this motif and transforming it because knowing good and evil is also going to be the gift that the Torah presents to Israel. What are they going to do with this gift of knowing good and evil that the gods given them through the Torah? Are they gonna follow it? Are they gonna abuse it? The gift of wisdom in the book of Proverbs. The wisdom is a tree of life. Proverbs are from Proverbs chapter three. The Torah is a tree of life.

The Torah is a tree of life. That's right. That's how the book of Proverbs frames it. Yes, my Torah is a tree of life. The Father says in the speeches in Proverbs 1 through 9. And so the tree, and the Torah, and not following the Torah would then be the tree of knowledge. It would be taking the tree and reducing it to my own wisdom.

And the same in Proverbs, it's rejecting the wisdom of your elders is the equivalent to taking from the tree and defining good evil by your own wisdom. And that's in ever-present possibility in every moment of my existence. It's to ruin everything. Yeah. By a horrible choice. One horrible choice.

I think about that all the time. You know what? Yeah, I think about that too. I remember years ago I was talking with our colleague Ken. And he asked me this question. He said, he's got the funniest question sometimes. He said, how many choices do you think you're away from completely screwing up your life? But it turned into like this thought experience game.

And we're like, okay, how many? And I'm thinking about it and I'm like, there's four or five. And then once we kind of work through, we're like, we, how many? Yeah. And I'm thinking about it, and I'm like, there's a four or five, is it? And then once we kind of work through, we're like, we are one or two decisions away from police cream. Yeah, ruining everything irreversibly. Wow, it's terrifying. Is terrifying.

It's a tree in the middle of the garden there. It's a tree in the middle of the garden. Yeah, it is. This is right there. It's ready to destroy you. Yeah, that's right. Totally. Yeah, it is. This is right there. It's ready to destroy you. Yeah, that's right totally Okay, remember our meta story is there's a group of people at the party. Yeah.

They're locked up in the, we're doing the dandruff pool room. The pool room. I like the pool room. Okay, let's go pool room. Alright, they've thrown half the hors d'oeuvres plates. Yeah. And you're thinking, why are they doing that? Yeah.

Well, somehow, and let's say you can interview one. Yeah. And they'll be honest. And they'll say, well, we begin to become aware like this party land one day. This party will end. And there may actually not be enough. Yeah. For everybody. Yeah. And we think it would be good for us to hoard up or durf plates. That seems wise. Yeah. In our eyes. Yeah. And so sorry for you guys out there, but we gotta think about, you know? Right. Our group. You guys will figure it out too.

You'll figure it out. There's enough out there still for you, but we're gonna seal off ourselves. Wow, that's a really different mentality than when we all first showed up here. Totally. Yeah. Yeah.

It's a interesting parable. Yeah it is. You could have a conversation with that person and they could really convince you in a logical way. Correct. I'm sorry this is hard for you, but this is the right thing for us to be right. What I've got to do. I've got to look out for my group.

It's the good and right thing. And you can kind of go like, I guess I can see how you got there. That's right. It's such for me though. Yeah, Genesis 3.6. When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating, it's a perfectly good tree. It's a perfectly good tree. It was a beautiful to the eyes.

It's nice. And that the tree was desirable. This key. It's the word hamad in Hebrew. That's the verb or nech mod is actual word, but then it's from the root hamad. It's the word to covet. One of the ten commandments. Do not covet. It's this word, desire, desire. So the tree was covetable. So do not covet could also be do not desire? Correct, which doesn't sound right in English. The idea, covet is actually a good English word there, because it's about illegitimate, a desire for a thing that is not rightly mine,

or that ought not to be mine. So this tree is desirable for making me wise. So she took coveting, desiring, and taking. Is the fundamental act here. And then she ate, and then she gave. She's giving. Oh, how generous. But no. Yeah. After the desiring and taking,

even giving is now tainted. It's now been. Yeah, with her and he ate. There's just six verses we've looked at. Yeah. Genesis. But it's yeah, study and what people do with abundance. The problem of abundance for self-assumance. It's good. Well, in a world of abundance, in the nature of of this reality. There is also the ever present potential to grew it up or to turn it in words. Yeah. Or something potentially that can look more noble. And it can look noble. And it will look noble. To look out for me. Yeah, that's a thing. To look out for me and mine. It's the problem.

Of twisting abundance into selfishness looks noble. Within a universe where there's not enough, if my perspective on the universe is there's not enough. Yes, then it makes perfect sense. It makes perfect sense. It's very noble. Yes. You're taking care of the people you love.

And that problem is represented in the image of a beautiful fruit tree at the center of the garden. It's going to look good, but trust me, it will kill you. That's the one that will destroy the party. Yes, it is interesting. Yeah, I'm interested in this limited perspective. Again, back to where we began this, Jesus begins this teaching that ends with him saying,

therefore, sell your stuff and give it away. Because it's going to corrupt your perspective. Because the more stuff you have, the more you're going to be thinking about how there's not enough. It's like it'll foster the opposite mindset. But the abundance creation mindset of the biblical story will free you to enjoy the party. That's interesting. It's two approaches to seeing the world. And in one, it so clearly seems absurd that you would hoard things or store up things for you and your group in a way that deprives others.

That doesn't make any sense. Yeah, I want to be interesting. It's one might be. What'd be interesting to show up at that party? And it's already, and it's well into the party. It's like, and things have been pretty established of like all this weird stuff happening. People in the pool room, people in the then,

like there's, oh, got it. There's groups holding up in different rooms. Yeah, right. People are just kinda, they're not acting like it's a party anymore. But you show up, and you know, you know it's a party. Yeah. And you know that there is enough. Yes.

Yeah. And that would be such a weird, to then go in the pool room and interact with those people. Yeah, you're trying to convince them. You're trying to convince them, there is enough. Yeah. And then for you to then go, you just know like the host is going to bring more.

Yeah. And it's going to continue. Right. And even all of this chaos that we're creating, he's gonna come and like, solve that too. Yes, yeah. Like it's weird, you're gonna be like, I wanna try to figure out how to enjoy the party,

but also help you try to figure out how to enjoy the party. Totally, yeah. Let's get this started again. Yeah, that's right. You know what's funny? We've already said this, but it's more clear to me in this moment. That when you read those teachings of Jesus where he says, look at the Ravens.

Yeah. And look at the lilies. And many, I have found myself included many people, at least in our cultural setting. We read that and we, it's hard for us. We're like, that sounds hippie. Yeah. So silly. Or irresponsible. But what's actually happening is just this clash of worldviews where the reason it bothers me is because I don't actually

hold that view of the world. So we've talked through the flow of Genesis 3 through 11 multiple times, but just think through it real quickly with me in light of this abundance, generosity versus scarcity and taking mindset. Genesis 4, Cain's jealousy and anger compels him to take the life of his brother. So instead of focusing on his ability to give life by being a farmer of the ground, he's angry. Well, can we stop here on that? Is this always, this bugs me about the story of Cane Abel. God is more generous to Abel than he is to Cane.

And well, he just looks with favor. Yeah, yeah. What does that mean? Yeah. I got to imagine that means, okay, I may be reading too much into this, but you give an offering to gods, in the sense of all this is yours.

Here's a symbol of that, but you're doing it because you want another good harvest. You want abundance. Yeah, or you're saying thank you. And you're saying thank you. Where you're saying thank you. Oh, maybe harvest that we just had. Oh, all they're doing is saying thank you, maybe.

But the expectation is favor. Well, I think it's certainly it's a reciprocal kind of thing. Yeah. You always sense rain, you know, gives me abundant crops And so I take these symbolic tokens of my crop and I say thank you so much. I think he's worth thank offerings The king of what we're doing. Ah well, at least what canes offering. He's a worker of the ground. Yeah Well, they both offer a portion of their correct. That's right. That's right. That's right Yeah, well, he's offering, he's a grain offering,

which in Leviticus is solely a thank you offering. Oh, is that significant? It's not, well, it's not, it didn't atone, cover for sins, it wasn't a form of petition, it was thank you. Should I be thinking about that when I'm reading the story? Oh, I think so.

Oh, okay. Yeah, so that's, that's, and that's able, no, that's Kane's story. He's saying thank you. And Abel has the... He brings, yeah, from the first born of his flock. Yeah. And that's a synopharynx.

The Passover sacrifice is a first born. Passover meal is a first born of the flock. Yes. And again, this is Genesis 4. All of the language here is crafted with an eye towards the depictions of sacrifice later on. However, I don't think the story is trying to tell us that one's sacrifice is better than the other, both are legitimate forms of sacrifice. I heard you say that, and so I grant that. But God shows favor towards one and not the

other. So what does that mean other than he is being more generous to one other than the other? Yeah. Actually, my current way of understanding it, but I have learned that these things develop and change. The more you ponder, is that it's an intentionally ambiguous gap in the narrative. The favor. The favor. Because it's going to be developed throughout all the generations,

why Abraham, but not his brothers, his other two brothers. Why did God choose him to be the vehicle of blessing? Why Isaac, but not Ishmael? And then certainly why Jacob, whose name means deceiver. And so it's the mystery, Genesis, I think,

is developing this portrait of the mystery of why God chose one specific, the image of the image. God chose one family out of all the families. That's what this family is about. Through whom to work. That's, and it's the mystery of election. Yeah, the whole theme of election in Paul's writing

is all about this. It's all about this. And it's a very old mystery. And the fact that God chooses one doesn't mean that there isn't more blessing for others. Yeah, well, so in the way I've been taught election growing up in the faith, it does mean that. But that is interesting when you connect it to, you connect it to this story of God choosing one person over another as a vehicle. Yeah, for blessing for all the other.

For blessing for all the other. That's a logic of the whole thing. Yeah. Especially Abraham. It's especially dense in the Abraham. But whenever I was taught and read election kind of stuff, I see it. Ripped out of that context. I see.

And it's really just more about, why do some people get to go to the party and just don't? Okay, that's right. Well, once you take election out of the biblical context and you put it into a, some people go to the good place after they die, some people go to the bad place. Who gets to go?

The ones that are pre-written in the script. But that's a different story than the biblical story. All right. That's certainly not what Paul has in mind. In Ephesians 1, he has in mind this story. It's about the family of Abraham selected out from all the nations to bring blessing to the others. So, okay.

So, back to Canabel. I'm so sorry. Can't even able. You were great. I did that and that was wonderful. That was helpful for me. But to get back on track. Yeah, that's right. You didn't able. Yes. You were great. I did that and that was wonderful. That was helpful for me. But to get back on track.

Yeah, that's right. The favor. Yeah. I'm not supposed to be thinking like, oh God's hooking up one and not the other. He's being more generous to one the other. I mean, there is a sense. There is a there is a favor. There is a favor.

Yep. But it doesn't mean that it's at the complete expense of the other person. Yeah. Well, Kane experience it that way. He sure feels that way. But is that a necessary response? Or is that just a limited perspective selfish response? 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh

1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh 1 tbh It's actually very similar.

Again, remember Genesis 4 and 3 are mirror stories of each other. So God's everything is fine. And then all of a sudden, the possibility is introduced of, oh, but perhaps God's holding out on me. So in Genesis 3 It's able able gets this thing able gets this what's God holding out on me? Yeah, is there so yeah, does that mean I don't get well? What is it that I don't get? Yeah the favor What does that mean for the future does that mean in the same way that did God say the snake says did God say don't eat from any tree? No, he didn't. It's a limited perspective. Limited perspective. Do I trust that God is good? And even though I'm experienced, my brother is experiencing something I don't get to experience.

Yeah. Do I still trust? Yeah. That at the end. There are also good things for me too. There's good things for me too. Yeah. What about when Paul says though, Abel, I love Cana, hated. Issa. Oh, that was Issa. Jacob and Issa. Actually, Jacob and Issa becomes through design patterns, a really deep exploration of the Cana and Abel story,

of the two brothers. See how I got to mix up in my head. Yeah, exactly. They're so mapped onto each other. Yeah, that's right. However, it's also clear that when Paul's quoting there He's quoting from Malachi Which is refracting back onto the Genesis story through the lens of the whole history of Israel

Because in Malachi, Jacob and Esa are tribal names of the whole tribes. Okay, dude, Cain and Abel, through Jacob and Esa, become all developed through design patterns, the stories Israel versus the Edomites through the story. And when Paul or Malachi looks back on the Cain and Abel story, they do so through the length of the whole story of Edom and Israel, Jacob and Esa, Cain and Abel. And as if it's one thing,

because it is in the final frame of the Hebrew Bible. Yeah. And the loving and the hating, I think presently, at least as far as I understand that, it's a hyperbolic contrast. Just like... Because that language makes it difficult for me to do. Yeah, yeah.

Oh, actually here, because, actually here, where Malachi is getting the Jacob I love but you saw I hated, is Malachi did the Hebrew Bible so awesome and complex. It's actually using the language of how Jacob treated his two rival wives, the older and the younger. He loved the younger, but Leia, the older, was hated at the line in the Jacob story. He loved Rachel, but Leia was the hated one. Which doesn't mean he disliked her. It's a way, I think it's a- It doesn't mean there was like all this animosity between them.

Yeah, I think it's a Semitic turn of phrase. At least I think. It's another way to say he showed favor on one and not the other. Yeah, it's a way that's right. So could you in that hebrewic turn a phrase say that Cain was hated and Abel was loved in his story? I think so, I think so. But not in the modern English way, and talk about hate. Exactly. At least I think that's the case. I could be wrong about that. I need to think

about it more. Interesting. Either way, Cain feels like he's being hated on in our English sense of the way. He clearly feels that way. And that's right. Maybe to use our party parable, it would be that the host comes out

and brings a special or a dirt plate for the birthday boy. And then everybody else is like, what's the deal? Like, why did they get that special plate? Yeah, I know, I've got all these other plates here that are available to me too, but they got that one. Am I gonna get that one? What if I don't?

Because I'm never gonna be my birthday. Does that mean the host doesn't like me? Why doesn't he like me? I'm angry. I don't know, something like that. Yeah. Well, you imagine the party's gone, it's gotten so bad that the host is like, okay, what am I going to do here? Okay, here's what I'm going to do. Oh, shit. I'm just going to find someone here at the party. Yeah, that's right. So like, help convince them of the true,

like real view of mine. Remind them, yeah, this is a party. Yeah. Get them living in the right way. Well, sure, yeah, sure. And then, yeah. So I'm going to hook one, one of these people party. Yeah, get them living in the right way. Well, sure, yeah, sure. And then, yeah. So I'm gonna hook one of these people up. Yeah, I'm gonna give them more attention. It's right. I'm gonna bring them into my living room. We're gonna chat about it.

I'm gonna tell them, this is the way of the real party. Totally. And I need you guys to get on board with me, and then we're gonna go. And then everyone else is looking at it. Like, why are they getting all those favoritism? Yeah, why do they get to go into the special room? Why do they get yeah, why do they hang out in the fireplace with the host?

Yeah, I want that. Yeah. Why didn't you choose me? Yeah, now I'm angry because they got favor. Yeah, yeah, now that's the, that's the cane. That's the cane story of like God spending some extra time with that guy. Yeah, that means he doesn't like me. He must not like me.

And his whole scheme is trying to get the whole party started for everyone again. That's right. Yeah. And the host would be like, whoa, hold on. There's like, there's something animating that. Yeah, yeah. That's right.

And you, yeah. That's like a brute problem. Totally. And the host is thinking, no, I'm working out a plan to restore the order and shallow them to the party for everybody. Just wait a minute. Yeah. Yeah. And then the guy's like, no, no, I'm taking this in my own hands. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Then he kills the favorite, the one brought into the room, and which is not going to go well for the room. And which is not going to go well for the party. Next party even worse. You're gonna murder scene.

Totally. Okay. So God says to that guy, the murderer, man, you got to get out of here. You leave the party. And so he leaves the building. He goes east and builds a city builds his own house with his own counter party. Yeah, I'm, yeah. Except things don't go well there, because people at Leimeck shows up to his party and just starts murdering people.

Yeah. And then... It's like, I know how you like to throw a party cane. Yeah, totally. And then generations keep going by, and then those descendants that all leads up to the building of the great Anti-heaten party. Yeah, which is the city of Babylon and once again God said be fruitful and multiply fill the land and what they say is no no no

There's not enough. We got it all getting one place. There's a fine line between a party and a mob Sleepers with the Babylon story. So they say, let's all get together as one so that we're not scattered out there in the land. And then let's build our own city and tower that ascends up to the realm of the gods, the realm of God. And let's make a name for ourselves. Let's provide for ourselves.

And of course God knows that that's gonna go horribly. And so he scatters them. But once again, it's humans now providing for themselves. We'll make our own city. Don't want God to provide us with the party. We're gonna make our own party and it will have our name on the front door. Yeah.

It's our city and it's our party. And so the counter, if you can join them, beat them. Yeah, that's the answer, yeah, that's all right. So God scatters and then his counter is to take one group, again, one person, one line. He actually goes to another party and he's like, hey, can you help me out at this, like, get this other party back on track?

Yeah, and so this is the calling of Abraham. Yeah, the calling of Abraham. You can have to leave your party. That's right You think it's awesome. Yeah, totally. Which is really just turning into a just disaster. Totally. That's right. I mean we can't even Yeah, it doesn't even look like anything close to a party now. Yeah, your life spans gonna be really short if you stay at that party at the anti-Eden party. So come back to Eden as a new human. Abraham and Sarah are a new Adam and Eve being invited into a new type of Eden. And the poem that opens up the Abraham story is exactly that.

It's like the original party kind of like stopped. It's guarded by Sherbin now. Yeah, right. I guess we're all kicked out. Yeah, and, uh, kind of like we're gonna start guarded by share boom now. Yeah, right. Yeah, I guess we're all kicked out. Yeah, and God's like, we're gonna start, but we're gonna start against small. Yeah, yeah, start with one family. And what God says is I'm gonna give you

blessing, blessing, blessing, blessing. This is the able figure. This is the person who... Abraham? Well, yeah. It's the, as a type, the one who gets the favor. That's right, that's right. Who then is Abraham.

Correct, who is Jacob? Is the one who gets the favor? Who is the second born? Yeah. Always. Which is also interesting. Yes. Okay. And it's not because God is being more generous to one the other. It's that he's got a plan. He's got a plan and he's going to start with one. He's going to start with one. Because the promise that he makes to Abraham is, I'm going to bless you, bless you, bless you. And the last sentence of the poem is, and in you, all the families of the earth will find blessing. But he is starting with one. And that's, again, we're back to the mystery of biblical election, which is God is on a mission to say to bless, restore blessing all, if they want it,

and he's going to start with one. But his selection of that one presents an ever-present choice for all those around. Of envy. Of envy. Of anger. And that's what's being explored. In every generation of the Book of Genesis, there are people starting with Cain and Abel,

actually starting with humans. There are those observing around, looking at the one God's chosen, to be the vehicle of blessing for all, the people, the onlookers are faced with a choice, and in every generation there are those who choose jealousy, anger, and violence. And God's response to those. Think of the Joseph story. The eyes did every, sorry, go ahead. Oh, and his response to Cain is, Think of the Joseph story. The IS did every, sorry. Go ahead, go ahead. Oh, and his response to Cain is, just do the right thing. Yeah, yeah. If you do good, you will be lifted up. Yeah.

He says, yes. You'll be exalted. Which is not what you wanna hear when you like- Oh, interesting. When you're kind of, when you're feeling like you're being left out of the party. Oh. Like, I don't know.

I'm feeling, like, I'm feeling unloved. It doesn't seem like what I want to hear just like just do the right thing, but it's interesting that that's what God tells him. Yes, Genesis 4.7. Isn't it true that if you do good, lifting up, this is in Hebrew, hyperliteral Hebrew. Isn't it so that if you do good,

lifting up, exaltation. If you do good, you'll good lifting up exaltation? Hmm. If you do good, you'll be lifting up. Yeah, that's right. The point is that you'll be exalted too. I'm favoring your brother right now, but there is exaltation for you as well. Just trust me and do the right thing. Just keep party on.

Just party on. All I'm asking you to do is enjoy the party. I'm really enjoying this parable. Everybody, thank you for listening to this episode of the Bible Project Podcast. This series is kind of short. We just have a couple more episodes where we're going to be discussing generosity. And after that, as we normally do, we want to host a Q&R episode. So if these conversations about generosity in the Bible have peaked your curiosity, or if you have some questions, we would love to hear them, please send them to us. You can record

an audio file of yourself and send it to us at info at join the BibleProject.com. If you can try to keep your question about 20 or 30 seconds, we would love also to hear your name and where you're from. Today's show was produced by Dan Gummel. Theme music is by the band Tents. The Bible project is a crowd-funded animation studio in Portland, Oregon. We make all of these videos and resources and podcasts. It's all available for free because of people like you and your generous support. So thank you guys so much for being a part of this with us. Hello, my name is January. So we have the Godoy and I'm from the Philippines, but I live in Okinawa, Japan. I use the Bible project with our Asia Pacific Nazarene Youth International page on Facebook and I share the videos there for our young people.

I read the scripture using the app and so it's really nice to watch the video first that you have done before reading the scripture for the day. We believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. We are a crowdfunded project by people like me. Find free video, study notes and more at thebibolproject.com. you