Jan 16 Gen 36

Ok, I have to admit it. Today's reading was a skimmer. I skimmed so quickly that I accidently read Jan 17. But even though the Bible is begining to concentrate more and more on Jacob (Israel) through whom the promised Messiah will come, God continues to acknowlege and even prosper the lines of other decendants. He even includes the names of some of the wives and daughter in laws. In a time and culture when women were considered little more than property, God takes note of them.

As I mentioned on the main page and others have mentioned, concubines/handmaidens had little to no social standing and no legal rights. But, God mentions them all by name and even appears to Hagar, the first recorded theophany. I'm still in awe of the job of the scribes, copying over the text by hand year after year. They must have been tempted to 'editorialize' or leave a few seemingly unimportant details out. But, God miraculously preserved the exact history He wanted recorded in His word.