storytelling – Badgerholt 3.0

ICB: A Question in Genesis

How old was Jacob when he first met Rachel?

The story of Jacob and Rachel in Genesis is one of the great love stories in Scripture. Jacob apparently fell in love with Rachel at first sight. But Scripture doesn’t state an age for Jacob when he first met Rachel. Although Esau was 40 years old when he married, Jacob was not. So, how old was Jacob when he first met Rachel?

Through finding the answer to this question, Rûãch @Élöhîm led me to compile the Internal Chronology of the Bible and everything else that followed in my pursuit of the truth of His Story and my appreciation of His artistry as an expression of who He is.

This link to A Question in Genesis will take you to the essay discussing this question. Because of the extensive tables, it is not practical to post the essay directly in the blog.

Grace and peace to you,

Dori

Premise and Perspective

The premise and perspective underlying my thinking and writing

Badgerholt inkpot I think it’s important to state the premise underlying all my writings and the perspective I take in thinking about things and analyzing them. Readers may not agree with either the premise or the perspective, but at least you will know where I’m coming from and where my reasoning starts. Or, more accurately, where Rûãch @Élöhîm (Spirit of God) has shown me that my reasoning must start, especially as I’m depending on Him to guide my thoughts into the truth.

The reverential fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom ~  
    And knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  #  Proverbs 9.10

Premise

My initial premise – the premise underlying all my writings:

    YHWH @Élöhîm (LORD ,
     the @Élöhîm of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
               is Who He says He is, and
         has done what He says He has done
                   through Y^eshûãø HamMashîãch (Jesus Christ)
      as recorded in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.

That’s it. That’s the premise from which I start looking at what is, how it came to be, where it’s been, and where it’s going. Another way to describe it is the premise is the universal that explains all the particulars, the holy grail of philosophy and science.

The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures (the Bible) are where YHWH @Élöhîm clearly states His claims about who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do. I believe Rûách @Élöhîm inspired men to write the Scriptures as infallible in the original writings, including editing prior to the closing of the canon. I acknowledge that down through the millennia, copyist errors have crept in, in spite of the care taken in copying the Scriptures by both Jews and Christians. However, I believe any copyist errors are minor and do not affect YHWH @Élöhîm’s claims in any way. His written word remains authoritative and definitive for those who believe Him.

And, while I think some translations do a better job than others of translating the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic into English (my native language and the only one I am qualified to comment on), I do not believe Rûách @Élöhîm designated any particular translation as the only one His believers should use, especially given that a certain amount of interpretation is inherent in the action of translating. In fact, and especially when doing a Bible study delving into the layers of the Word, I think it’s best to look at several translations plus the original languages in order to hear the what the Spirit is saying in the depths of His written word of truth.

Ultimately, the question is whether or not one believes YHWH @Élöhîm. I believe Him. I believe that He is who He says He is and that He has done what He says He’s done through His Word Incarnate, Y^eshûãø hamMashîãch (Jesus Christ).

Who is YHWH @Élöhîm?

YHWH @Élöhîm is the Most High God, the Creator of heaven and earth. He is the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, the only omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-present God who exists, the @Élöhîm of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Perspective

The perspective Rûách @Élöhîm directed me to take is that of the Storyteller. I look at history as an interactive, dramatic production playing out on the stage of the earth in the theatre of the universe, written, produced, and directed by YHWH @Élöhîm with input by the characters.

I view the flow of events as YHWH @Élöhîm telling His Story in order to accomplish His purpose. I look for the through line, themes, plot devices, plot structure, motifs, patterns, chief characters, foreshadowing, scene divisions, etc., used in telling stories. I find that history makes more sense when viewed from this perspective.

As part of this assignment, YHWH @Élöhîm gave me a great love of story and puzzle-solving as well as a delight in discovering how an author crafted his/her story in the telling of it.

So, there you are – my premise and my perspective. I believe YHWH @ÉlöhÎm is who He says He is and that ‘history’ is ‘His Story.’ (And yes, I believe the pun is deliberate on YHWH’s part. I’ve noticed that He’s fond of word plays.)

May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be will you all.

Dori

Welcome to Badgerholt 2.0

Badgerholt inkpot

Hello!

My name is Dori, and I am a scholar/artist in service to YHWH @Élöhîm, a fan of His storytelling and creative artistry. All glory be to God!

When I was 40 years old, YHWH @Élöhîm called me to be a scholar/artist. Although I had already lived 40 years, in many ways, this call was the beginning of my journey. All that had gone before was training and prep to do this task, this good work, which He had created me to do. It took a few years before I understood how to describe this task, but ultimately, it came down to this.

A scholar/artist in pursuit of the knowledge of God (daøath @élöhîm) with a focus on YHWH @Élöhîm as a Creative Artist, pursuing the truth of His Story and appreciating the beauty of His artistry as an expression of the goodness of Who He is.

It’s been an interesting journey over the past 20 years, and it’s not over yet.

Badgerholt 2.0 is a place to share through pages and blog posts what YHWH @Élöhîm has taught me about His Story, His through line, and who He is, to the praise of His holy Name. I invite you to read my writings in the hopes that what you read will enhance your worship of the Most High God, YHWH @Élöhîm, Maker of heaven and earth, for so He says He is in His written word, the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures called The Bible.

May the grace and peace of the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Dori

“I will remember the deeds of Yäh ~         
    Surely I will meditate on Your wonders of old #
and I will ponder on all Your historical acts ~   
    and on Your deeds I will muse #
@Élöhîm, in the holiness [is] Your way ~     
    who [is] a great @ël like @Élöhîm? #
You, the @Ël who does wonders ~       
    You make known among the people Your strength #
You redeemed with strength Your people ~     
    the sons of Jacob and Joseph  Seläh ” #          
                     Psalms 77.12-15  (my literal translation)

Patterns: Who Wrote Genesis? Introduction

“Now, the phrase “@ëlleh thôlëdôth” occurring only five times and only in Genesis begs the question of why its usage was so limited, but I’ll address why I think this happened in another post given the wording. in the Masoretic.” (From “On the Generations Of: A Pattern of Usage”)

So, why do I think Scripture uses “@ëlleh thôlëdôth” only five times? Because I think the phrase was used to identify five writings Moses used to compile the book of Genesis, telling the Story of the Line of the Promise from the rehabilitation of the earth to the death of Jacob. A sixth scroll written in Egypt continued the Story through the death of Joseph and ended the book instead of using the signature phrase. I think these five writings were preserved in the Line of the Promise down through the generations with Jacob bringing them with him to Egypt.

So, here’s the intro of the essay that I wrote discussing my research and Badgerholt inkpot conclusions.

Grace and peace to you,

Dori