By fulfillment, Scripture means the completion of a promise previously mentioned in the Old Testament. Hosea’s words said “that what the Lord said through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’” What Hosea means is that what the Lord promises is eventually fulfilled through the works of a prophet. The words of Hosea are a lament of God over Israel’s faithfulness during their trek across the wilderness under Moses. We don’t usually think of the past as something that awaits fulfillment, but Israel’s past is a template for the future to use. Israel looked to the past to see God’s love for them in times of need. In the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of a promise by God, the fulfillment of Emmanuel. Emmanuel is Israel’s hope.  In Luke 1, it speaks about the coming of John the Baptist, which is very similar to the story of Abraham and Sarah. Zechariah and Elizabeth are both old but God promises them a son, just as He did to Abraham and Sarah. In Luke 1: 32-33 it states that “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” The original purpose for the kingship of Israel was a failure, but once God was able to back the king (David), everything was okay. David was the pinnacle of kingship in Israel and having a prophet come from the same line as David is essential, especially if his kingdom will never end. Zechariah’s song in Luke 1 states that “he has come to his people and redeemed them” similar to how Noah was the one redeeming quality before the flood occurred. Mark 1 states that Joseph is the son of David, important since Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus, but still has the same importance in his bloodline. Joseph coming from a great king means that Jesus would come from the great king as well, Luke just states it in a more metaphorical way than Matthew does.

By my reading if the chapters in Numbers, I would say that their mistrust in the Lord causes their condemnation. None of the people believed in the Lord’s promises for them and instead only wanted instant gratification for the hardships they had undergone. Moses was the only one in the group who had trust in God’s promises for them, which makes Moses their leader since he was in “conversation” with the Lord. I think they closed the Pentateuch with the death of Moses because it’s a symbol of the new generation entering in a new land without the guidance of old leaders. Moses was a sign of the hardships of Egypt, but entering the New Land without Moses, signifies a new time for Israel, hopefully one without much hardship. It also shows that Israel will be able to survive without the guidance of Moses that helped them follow God’s rules in order to get to the Promised Land. I think it’s a kind of poetic justice leaving Moses, since it’s kind of the death of the old Israel and the rebirth of the new in the promised land. It would be nice to see Moses get some compensation for his hardship, but I understand the meaning behind leaving him outside of what he was set forth to do. The closing passage of Deuteronomy 34 guides our reading of Joshua because Joshua is always going to be compared to the acts of Moses. In Deuteronomy 34 it states that “No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” The readings in Joshua sometimes paralleled stories with Moses, like the crossing of the Jordan. The events of Joshua’s generation will be successful, but based on the accomplishments of Moses that got them to that point. Everything that Joshua completes is thanks to the help of Moses.

What is considered to be pure or impure can vary from culture to culture. Purity is symbolic. In my opinion, there is nothing that is truly “pure” on Earth. Purity can range anywhere from clean water to good hygiene to having a “pure”or good soul. Purity can be used in a way to govern communities through tradition. Purity is everything that is in place according to Douglas. Impurity is also symbolic in the same way that purity is. Impurity can be dirty water to blood to committing bad deeds. Impurity can separate a community based off of the norms given to the people by the “ruler.”  Impurity is everything that is out of place according to Douglas. God requires the maintenance of purity because God himself is the purest object. We strive to be pure to be more like God and to be more in communion with him. Impurity is sinning and going against God’s rules, so maintaining purity is very important, especially in Leviticus, because God wants to be close to His people so He can help them if they follow His rules. Douglas says that “men prosper by conforming to holiness and perish when they deviate from it.” We saw this happen with Noah and the Ark. When the humans misbehaved he sent the flood to wipe them out, except for Noah who was abiding by God’s principles. The logic of the laws we encounter related to purity is wholeness to signify completeness on a social level and to set new standards for what is expected of God’s people. The food laws especially signify this with the purification of the animal before consumption and since food is meant to be consumed with others, it allows for people to hold each other accountable for the preparation of the animals. It was also to set new standards for God’s people, there was a level of trust meant to be shared between God and His people and these laws help guide people to the right track.

God is an enigma. No one truly knows who God is. Is God a man or woman? Is God real or fake? God is merciful and caring, yet can allow for some horrible acts to happen. Exodus 2:25 states, “So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” This shows that God cares for his people, and will deliver on his promises, especially those promised to Abraham and his descendants. God is fear evoking. When God calls your name, many people are scared, just as Moses was. Exodus 3-6 states, “Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” God can take on many forms. God can be the Son, the Father, the Holy Spirit, the creator, and so much more. According to Ratzinger, God “can be demonstrated in the theme of loneliness and security.” We need God when we are lonely, we cry to him/her when we are lonely. We also look to God when we need security. God is sometimes thought of as a safety net. God provides comfort when we need it, whenever we want to feel safe in circumstances, or whenever we are just having a bad day. I don’t necessarily think we can know who God is in a physical sense, but I do believe that we can know who God is through descriptions that are pieced together through his actions. God loves to test people’s trust in him. God has done this with Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Noah, and many other biblical figures. If you place trust in God and what he has in store for you, you will be set later on in life. I don’t know if we will ever truly know who God is until we reach the afterlife, but we can continue to know more of him/her as more knowledge comes out.

Joseph has his silver cup placed in Benjamin (his brother’s) sack to make it look like he had stolen it in Genesis 44:1-2. In the previous chapter however, it was made clear that Joseph had no resentment towards his brother. In Genesis 43, when Benjamin arrived and had a meal with Joseph, the text states that “Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there…After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.” When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.” If Joseph missed his brother that much, why would he possibly frame his brother? I believe that Joseph was testing his brothers, the ones who had treated him horrible and sold him into slavery. If his brothers abandoned Benjamin and allowed him to face the consequences of “stealing” then Joseph knew that his brother’s attitudes had still not changed from when they sold him into slavery. Joseph went through so many hardships with his brothers, and overcame them. The story of Joseph is one of my favorites, especially since we see so many parallels to Christ’s story. As stated in “Joseph and the Passion of Our Lord” by Gary Anderson, “The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 is not only the longest and most intricate Israelite exemplar of the narrative of the death and resurrection of the beloved son, but also the most explicit.” In his story, the son who was loved and cherished by his father, was faced with the jealousy and hatred of his brothers just as Jesus was faced with the envy of the high priests. Just as Joseph was stripped of his striped coat and sold into slavery, Jesus was also stripped of his garments and sold into prison by Judas for silver coins. Just as Jesus tested people’s trust in him, Joseph tests his brothers in order to judge who they truly have become.

At first, when Isaac gives Jacob his blessing, it seems like Jacob is the clear winner against Esau. I don’t think there is a winner. I think Jacob and Esau both won in their own ways. Sure, at first Esau was angry at Jacob for taking away his blessing, but when they reunite, Esau is doing just fine on his own with his family. Esau is content with what he has, he tells Jacob “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.” Esau was not the winner at first, but eventually, his anger dissipated and he was able to be content with his life. Jacob it seemed was the winner after he received Isaac’s blessing, but I think in reality, he lost a lot of what he had. After Jacob receives the blessing, he is still lost, especially without the guidance of his mom. Jacob won superficially, but he needed more to be content with his life. I think his fear of Esau kept him from fully being content with his life, and I don’t think that constitutes a winner. I believe, Jacob’s opponent really is himself. I don’t think he truly believes in the blessings of God, like Abraham did if he didn’t resolve his problems with Esau. When he wrestles with the man, I think that’s him wrestling with his feelings toward Esau and those years of betrayal. Jacob needed alone time with his thoughts, and when he was wrestling the man, I like to think of it as an interpretation of him going back and forth with himself, seeing the pros and cons of the situation. At the end of the wrestling, Jacob realizes that all he needs is a blessing from God and I believe that blessing took form in him and Esau reuniting. After “the fight,” Jacob realizes that God will be there for him and after that, then I believe he is a winner.

Religion is a very touchy subject to talk about. For some, it is a belief system that governs their way of life. Others simply don’t want to believe in one. There are so many kinds of religions in the world today, and many people don’t agree with each other about the details of a religion, even if they believe in the same one. According to William Cavanaugh, “religion is irrational, religion is absolutist, and religion is divisive.” He says this about the nature of religion. I for one, don’t believe in any of the three phrases. Religion isn’t irrational because it required lots of philosophical thinking to back up its ideas. In terms of Catholicism, everything God did had thought put into it before it was placed into action. Religion might allow for some irrational thoughts depending on what you choose to believe in and how strict your interpretation are about sacred texts. Religion is not absolutist because in the end, everyone is judged in the same manner. Religion is not placed above all, the government still is a key source of power and religion does not affect any major decisions in government. Religion seems like it absolutist because there are people going around saying that their religion is supreme, when in fact all religions are equally powerful in terms of their belief system. They all have backgrounds that help build up their ideologies. Lastly, religion isn’t divisive. The morals of religion tell others to respect one another and help people when they need help. Religion seems divisive because different groups are formed out of the same religion, but when it comes down to the bare basics, almost every religion wants the same thing. Every religion says to be good so that when your die, things will in turn be good for you. They might not believe in the same definition of acts of goodness, but they believe that when your time is done on Earth, your actions will be the reason for the placement in the afterlife.

Wilken makes many points in his book to show how faith is unavoidable. To me, his first argument starts when he quotes St. Augustine saying that “No one believes in anything unless one first thought it believable.” I find this quote so interesting because I’ve never thought of faith like that. If we didn’t have some belief in an idea or person, we would never have placed our trust in them in the first place. Wilken states that “faith is the portal that leads to the knowledge of God.” There are certain divine truths that are unknowable to us when we are living and faith is the way that we express our trust in God to take care of us after we finish living out our lives here on Earth. He makes a connection between stories that we have no idea are true or not. For example, I don’t know if Julius Caesar was stabbed by Brutus, but I believe it as true because it’s been told to me and I have faith that the author/storyteller is telling me the truth about what happened. Wilken states “historical knowledge required witnesses, and witness invites faith, or confidence in the word of the one who bears witness.” Wilken brings up the example of us not really knowing who our real father is unless we take a DNA test, we just choose to believe what our mom tells us about our father. Faith is beneficial because it provides a sense of comfort to people. Faith is authoritative, without faith in something society would be in shambles. Wilken states “the absence of authority in society not only severs the fragile bond of trust that binds people together, it makes learning impossible. Without faith, who would we believe to give us knowledge? Teachers? Faith is a necessary part of live and Wilken, along with the help of Augustine help prove that.

Abraham agrees to the request made of him by God because he feared what God would do to him if he did not abide by what God asked of him. In Genesis 22:12 it says, “For now I know that you fear God, since you did not withhold from me your son, your only one.” Abraham knows of the hardships that God can place on people and decides that it is worth it to sacrifice his own son and trust that God has better things in store for him. I don’t think Abraham is lying in Genesis 22:5 when he says that they will go to worship, they are worshiping the Lord by a sacrifice, the lie is when he says they will come back to the servants. I believe that Abraham is lying in 22:8 but for good reasons, sometimes it’s okay to tell a white lie if it is in the benefit of the other person. I feel that Abraham didn’t want Isaac to freak out so he told him a small lie.God’s intention of making Abraham go through this ordeal is to see whether or not Abraham is truly faithful to the Lord. Abraham’s descendants were going to be so numerous, God wanted to know that Abraham was the right man for these powerful descendants that were as numerous as the stars. God had been betrayed many times before, and Abraham needed to be put through a test before he was able to gain any more blessings. I believe Abraham is praiseworthy in some occasions. When he had a son with Hagar and told Sarai to tell people that he was her brother, I don’t believe that was very praiseworthy. I think the fact that Abraham was so willing to do whatever God told him to do was praiseworthy. He sent away Hagar and his first son because God told him to. Most importantly, he almost sacrificed his own son, I don’t know many people that would do that. I feel that God is praiseworthy because he is an almighty being, his actions that he asks of people and his punishments might not be praiseworthy, but they are just.

Noah was the first man who could have no direct contact to the first man (Adam) and was the first man to be born into a world where death is already present. Mortality is a received part of the human condition. Adam and Eve thought that they were going to live in the Garden of Eden forever and therefore thought it was okay to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree given their assumed protection in the Garden of Eden. Just as Adam and Eve thought they had protection forever, humans after Adam and Eve did as well, only this time it was in the form of immortality. The humans acted crazy when they found out that they weren’t immortal, just as Adam and Eve did when they thought the Garden of Eden was going to be theirs for a long time. The troubles also start because of population growth. Once God made Eve, that is when the problems started happening, just as once the population started expanding, it became harder to control what was going on. This then leads to sinning. There was also the problem of choosing wives based only on looks alone. Just as the fruit on the tree looked tempting, people became focused only on finding wives who were good looking as well. Due to the thoughts about protection from death, population growth, and selfishness, the sins seen in Genesis chapter 3 were able to continue throughout the story of Noah and the Ark. Noah was saved because of his remaining virtue, something that wasn’t found in many of the chapters read in Genesis. The story of Noah and the Ark continues the story of God being merciful to man. God was merciful to Adam and Eve by allowing them to continue living on Earth. God was merciful to Noah and his family by allowing them to escape the flood. It just shows that although mankind will make mistakes, God will continue to be merciful towards certain people just as he was to Adam and Eve and Noah and his family.