When discussing “fulfillment”, Scripture discusses this term by discerning in history the pattern of God’s action and the shape of things to come. Things throughout the bible always remain open to fulfillment. Though there are times in which Scripture uses fulfillment to announce future things that are to come, the majority of times this term refers to visualizing the pattern of God’s actions and the way things are brought to be. When Mathew refers to the citation from Hosea “out of Egypt I called my son”, it may be incorrectly assumed that he is talking about the future and how Jesus will leave Egypt once it is safe for him and Heron has died. Yet, this citation refers to the past and to God’s lament over Israel’s faithlessness and the years of Exodus under Moses. 

In the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke we can see the different elements of the Old Testament narrative that were previously discussed in the way in which we see how there begins to exist the development of the new covenant that was hinted towards in the Old Testament. With the birth of Jesus we can see how this new law and covenant, as well as the new prophet that was foreshadowed begins to exist. With Jesus, a new covenant begins to be generated, one that serves as a continuation of the previous one. Similarly, we see an intense focus on the element of Kingship, both on how we can see the descendants of David still being the chosen ones to “rule” over Israel, and on God’s emphasis on his power and rule over the people. God makes a demonstration of his divine power to Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah by allowing Elizabeth to conceive despite her infertility and making Mary pregnant of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. This is God’s way of reinforcing his power and rule over the people of Israel, once again highlighting that he is the ultimate King of the people.

After reading the chapter in Numbers, what I would say is what leads to the wilderness generation’s condemnation is the way in which the people no longer trust God as much and start complaining a lot about the food and their lifestyle as they are reaching the promised land. Also, the way in which the spies that were sent to the land discourage the people and tell them that they have no chance for beating the current inhabitants of the land and make them distrust in God makes God very angry at them. The people disobey God and try to take things for themselves instead of letting God give them what he promised. This goes back to the difference between giving and taking that was the origin of the discommunion between God and people. 

I think that they chose to end the Pentateuch right after Moses dies in order to signal a shift. It is described that no other prophet is as good as Moses because of how he knew the Lord face to face, and thus finishing this section of the Bible with his death emphasises largely on how there is now a change in the prophets. Moreover, I think that it signals a shift between the Israelites being punished and suffering, to how now they are able to enter into the promised land and begin to have more conquests. 

The chapters from Joshua and Judges show how even though the Isreaelites are able to conquer the land and be successful in doing so, they still struggle with remaining loyal and worshiping only God. They fall easily to the worship of other idols, which angers God and makes him punish the people of Israel. It shows again a cycle in which the people of Israel grow restless and start to walk away from God until they are faced with some type of punishment that brings them closer to Him again. The closing passage of Deuteronomy guides our readings of Joshua given how it shows the way in which it claims that no prophet will be like Moses was. It talks about how the generation of Moses was the one with the closest attachment to God and how from then on the Israelites will continue to have a hard time following God’s ideals and laws.

Purity and impurity are related to being connected and separated with God. All things that are considered pure are things that go along with God’s teachings and with what he expects from his people, whereas impure things are those that go against his teachings. As described in the footnote from the article by Mary Douglass, “purity rules represent regulations of the social body”, showing how purity is what defines what should be done to please God and follow with his ideals and rules. 

God requires the maintenance of purity because of how those who follow God must do what he asks and follow his rules. In order to stay and live together with God, people must maintain their purity. It also relates back to Genesis and Adam and Eve. Their curse, as stated in the footnote, is the curse of death. This curse is specified in the purity laws described in Leviticus. They are connected to the way in which humans became impure and separated themselves from God in Genesis with Adam and Eve being banished from Paradise. Following these purity laws allows humans to become pure again and rebuild their connection with God. I think it also serves as a way of God ensuring that his people will follow with his commands and will do what is right.  

The logic behind the laws we encountered related to purity, especially the food laws, is that God is trying to ensure that his people will follow with his ideas and lifestyles. It is a way of showing how people need to be aware of what they have to do in order to remain pure and follow God. I also connect the food laws being so detailedly described in Leviticus to the original sin of Adam and Eve in which they eat the apple and thus distance themselves from God. I think that this is connected to how Israelites must be always conscious of what they eat, meaning what they bring into their bodies. I think of it as sort of a metaphor in which God is making it very specific for his people that they can be only filled with pure things and to avoid temptation of bringing into their bodies any type of impurities.  

The question regarding who God really is is one that has puzzled many believers and non believers alike. It is highly complicated to try and define God as one single thing, as is almost impossible to try and define any individual as one thing. Nevertheless, God as I see it is the creator or all things and the one who rules in the spiritual realm. God is the one that, as we saw in Genesis, created the Earth as it is and is the one who has been in charge of continuing with this creation by guiding humans in the direction they should follow. God guides Moses in every step in these exceprts of Exodus so that he leads the people of Israel and saves them from the slavery they were facing in Egypt. God is all-powerful, as can be seen in here as he throws upon the Earth the 10 plagues to force the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, and he is all-knowing, as we have seen in these chapters and previous ones in which God knows all inner thoughts and feelings of people.  

Moreover, as it can be understood through these chapters as well as through Ratzinger’s reading, that God is one who is one with its community. This is emphasised when God reveals himself to Moses and tells him his name. It is a way of God conveying his unity with him and with all Israelites. This is then further seen through Ratzinger’s point of how God relates in “I” and “you” rather than in “here” and “there” because it highlights the personal connection that exists between God and humans. Overall, though it is nearly impossible to determine a clear and concise definition of who God is, I understand God to be an omnipotent being that is in charge of ordering and creating and that serves as a guidance for people by also striving to develop a personal connection with all of his believers.

After being sold by his brothers to a band of Ishmaelites and having gone through many things in his life, Joseph plants the silver cup in order to determine whether his brothers are still the men they used to be. They wanted to get rid of Joseph because of how jealous they were that he was Israel’s favorite son. Joseph had to go through a lot of trouble to eventually become highly positioned in Egypt. Once his brothers go to Egypt and fail to recognize him, he sees the opportunity of testing whether or not they had changed and become better men. Knowing that Benjamin was the new favorite son of their father Israel, Joseph plants the silver cup and sets the punishment that whoever stole it must stay in Egypt to see how his brothers would react. If they had changed, then they would do something to make sure that Benjamin didn’t stay in Egypt, if they were still the same, then they would let him stay in Egypt. After seeing that his brothers had changed and were now willing to make a sacrifice to ensure that Benjamin returns to their home, Joseph reveals his identity and invites them to come to Egypt to survive the famine there. 

This relates to his status as the beloved son because of how as Anderson describes in his text “election is not a matter simply of a set of benefits to be claimed and enjoyed; election involves a cost” (203). All those who have been elected as the beloved sons have had to endure certain sacrifices. Joseph has endured many sacrifices in his life, and has been blessed by God as well. Also, this connects to the rivalry that exists between those elected as the “beloved” and those nonelected. Joseph’s brothers are jealous of him and thus want to get rid of him. This is a parallel story of that of Jacob and Esau. Nevertheless, both stories end up with the reconciliation of both sides. Joseph ends up forgiving his brothers for their actions and doesn’t wish any punishment against them once he has learned that they are changed men, while his brothers are very anxious regarding his potential desire for justice. His status as the beloved son is fulfilled once he forgives his brothers and claims that they shouldn’t be afraid, for no punishment will come towards them. As Anderson describes it “only the Elect One of Israel can speak the words of absolution”, culminating Joseph’s status as the beloved son.

In this scene of Jacob’s wrestling, I believe that his opponent is God himself being manifested to him. This can be understood because of how Jacob claims that he saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” (Gen 32.30). Having gone through many struggles previously in his life, Jacob had already undergone all types of wrestling, yet wrestling against God is a whole different matter. After wrestling until day break, the fight ends once the opponent sees that he cannot overpower Jacob, and so wrenches his hip as they wrestle. Jacob refuses to let the opponent go until he has been blessed. 

Even though Jacob is the one who wins the actual fight, in the end this fight was a way of God manifesting himself to Him and blessing him. I think that it is not really Jacob’s victory at the end of the fight. Jacob obtains his blessing from God and is enlightened in the sense that he reaches the understanding of how he cannot go on without God. It is God who in the end forgives Jacob’s life and blesses him. Without this, Jacob couldn’t have continued, showing how it was not truly him that won the fight. After undergoing this struggle, God gives Jacob his blessing and Jacob understands that he is alive because it was God’s will for him to be. This passage shows how Jacob had to face many struggles in his life, but at the end of the day God will allow him to remain strong and allow him to keep on going.

Religion in my opinion refers to a cultural and social system of beliefs and behavior that follows the worship of a superhuman being in charge of controlling everything. It involves a community that follows a specific set of ideals and guidelines in their lives. Religion serves as something that establishes a morality and certain values that its followers must abide with. There are many different religions around the world, yet most follow similar ideals of worshiping a greater being that is good and that knows what is best for people. Religion comprises a set of traditions and rituals that its followers must be a part of. It has an organized behavior, a clergy and a definition of what it means to be a part of that religion. 

On a more personal note, religion can serve as a way of spiritual guidance and of personal help. Many people resort on religion to help them cope with troubles in their lives and with any type of adversity they may be going through. It is a way of believing that one is a part of something greater than oneself and of obtaining the necessary strength to continue on. Aside from this, religion is many times used as a way of trying to make sense of the world around us and understand how things work. It has to do with looking for the answers of things we can’t know by reason and thus require faith. Religion is largely based on faith and how that faith is what can take people on the path of new knowledge and spirituality. It is a way of connecting to the spiritual side of us as humans and help us connect to each other. Overall, religion is a fundamental set of beliefs that serve as guidance for people, both as a community and in a more personal aspect.

According to Wilken, faith is unavoidable because of how it is necessary to believe in things because we have faith in them and not only believe in proven facts. Wilken also comments largely on how faith is crucial in order to develop knowledge. In order to be able to become knowledgeable in something, it is required to first believe in it. As he describes, “Everyone who believes thinks, thinks in believing and believes in thinking.” There is no way of thinking about something without first believing it is true. Moreover, he describes how as humans, it is in our nature to seek the answers of things and to find the truth about how the world around us came to be. Yet, to be able to find these answers, we must have faith due to how “faith is the portal that leads to the knowledge of God.” As Wilken describes, taking several stories from the bible, from Abraham to Isaiah, it can be seen how they rely on people believing and being faithful to God and his promises. 

It is within humans to be reluctant to believe in things without having proof of them. Yet, when it comes to religion, knowing things doesn’t solely rely on reason and proof to believe in things because of how faith is what opens the doors to this knowledge. It is described in the text that “Religion, however, is not a deduction of what one knows. If one begins with proofs and resolves to hold only what can be proven, one will never have done with beginning.” Through this it can be seen that faith is necessary and beneficial in religion since it is what first opens up for us the possibility of learning more and gaining more knowledge regarding Christianity and God. 

Faith is not only present when it comes to religion. As Wilken describes, it is crucial to have faith in people as well. When we believe in someone’s authority or wisdom, we are having faith that they know better and will guide us to better things. If we wouldn’t have this faith then it would be impossible to obtain any knowledge and be trusting of other people. Forming any type of connections and building relations would be very difficult. This is reflected when the text states “Nothing would remain stable in society if we determined to believe only what can be held with absolute certainty.” Having faith is crucial in order to have a base for developing knowledge. If we have no faith in anything or anyone, we would be entirely closed to receiving and obtaining knowledge, hence showing how it is largely beneficial and unavoidable. 

Abraham is a very devout subject to God, who has received several blessings from him and thus must follow with all of God’s requests. After Abraham’s wife Sarah hadn’t been able to conceive a child for many years, God gifted them with the blessing of their son Isaac. It is described how the sons of Abraham are the ones who will be the salvation of the world, hence Isaac is chosen to be a savior and thus is meant to live on. The sacrifice of Isaac is a proof of Abraham’s faith and devotion to God. I believe that Abraham follows with God’s request due to how he is aware that his son is meant to survive and live on, and that his lineage will continue because of how God promised that he will have as many descendants as stars in the sky. Abraham is aware that this is a test of his faith and thus must satisfy God’s requests. God asks this from Abraham as a test of his faith, and to prove whether he is worthy of having a lineage that will populate the earth.   

In 22:5 Abraham is not lying since he is stating the truth when claiming that they will go worship and then return. I think this touches back on how Abraham is aware that God is testing his faith in him but that he will not really force him to sacrifice his only son. It is another proof of how God had promised Abraham to have many descendants, and having his only son sacrificed is not compliant with that. In 22:8,  Abraham is not lying since he is yet again describing how it is in the hands of God which “lamb” will be sent as a sacrifice. I think that this is a demonstration of his loyalty and devotion to him. I do believe that Abraham is praiseworthy since he is willing to sacrifice his only son because it is God’s command to do so. Regardless of how hard it was for him to do this, the fact that he does so without questioning is praiseworthy since it shows how he is devoted to God. I think God would also be considered praiseworthy in this scenario since he is trying to prove whether Abraham and Isaac are indeed the chosen ones to carry on with many descendants.

Leon Kass describes Noah to be the first man to be born after Adam, hence be the first one with no contact with Adam and with no memory of the Garden of Eden and the prospect of immortal life. He doesn’t carry within him the possibility of immortal life existing and thus doesn’t have the anger and resentment that the rest of humans carry regarding this fact. In this account, Kass describes how man becomes very selfish and desires to possess more than he should. From the possession of things to the desire to possess women, man begins to step away from obeying and following God and begins to have their own desires. After the first sin, humans obtain the ability of free thinking and choosing, which leads to more selfishness from their part. This selfishness is tied to the desperate need for power and glory humans have. Just as the tree with the forbidden fruit is meant to represent temptation, now that humans have the knowledge of how they could be immortal, their thirst for more power keeps on growing. The first sin gave men the power of knowing that they could have immortality and hence they will not be satisfied till they have obtained it. 

God tried to be merciful with humans by expelling them from the Promise land in order to make them avoid having the temptation of eating from the forbidden fruit. Yet God begins to regret his creation of mankind by looking at how self-centered humans became. People forget their own mortality and begin to obsess with behaving like God, which leads to even greater troubles and damage for the human race. Yet Noah, being a simple and less selfish man, gives God the hope on mankind and makes him want to continue with his creation. God realizes he must reorder things to make sure that mankind is on the right track and that they lower down on their selfishness. Noah serves as the man who goes back to what God initially intended for mankind to be before the first sin. The knowledge and free will that the first sin gave humans is what lead to their selfish behavior and to their insatiable thirst for power. The story of Noah shows how damaging this first sin is and how humans needed to step back from their selfishness and desire of power which is what made God sent the flood and wipe clean his creation to start over with a new generation of people that aren’t aware of the existence of their potential immortality.