Fulfillment is defined as the achievement of something desired, promised or predicted. In the particular scripture we are examining fulfillment is spoken of in relation to Jesus and God. It is through Jesus that God’s desires for communion with Israel to be fulfilled. For example, Hosea states “that what the Lord said through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son” (Mt 2:15). God seeks to embrace Israel with his presence and seeks to do this through the death of his son, Jesus, who rescues us from our sins. God is working to fulfill the Garden of Eden that was initially destroyed by sin. 

Matthew begins with the birth of Jesus. The angel of the Lord said Jesus “will save his people from their sins.” I think this relates to the return of a King for the Israelites. The birth of Jesus establishes a new elect who will be seen as a leader in Israel. Jesus will be able to lead the Israelites just as Moses and David did before him. Israel will see the return of a great king they have been awaiting. Also, God made a promise to David that his descendants would sit on the throne. Joseph, the father of Jesus, is a descendant of David; therefore, God is upholding his promise to David with Jesus. 

Luke begins with the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus. An angel of the Lord describes John as one who “will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.” I think this can be seen as the ingathering of Israel, as they are drawn closer together with each other and with God. Also, I think both John and Jesus usher the restoration of God’s covenant relation with Israel. They will work to establish communion between God and the Israelites, while guiding Israel in their faith and worship of God. 

I think the Israelites are condemned by the Lord because they were not grateful for all of the blessings God had provided them. Beginning in Numbers 11, the Israelites complain about the lack of variety in their diet, yet they do not exalt God for rescuing them from Egypt. They are unable to see the loving things God does for them, and they instead act selfishly. Moreover, they exhibit a lack of faith in God. The Israelites emphasize their doubt in God leading them to their promised land and express their desires to return to Egypt. They also show the most severe form of disobedience by worshiping other gods in Numbers 25. This leads to God growing angry and results in the generation’s condemnation. 

Although Moses dies at the conclusion of the Pentateuch, I think this ends on a triumphant note rather than a somber one. It is states that “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses” ( Deuteronomy 34). I think this emphasizes the power and respect held by Moses. Despite not personally reaching the promised land, Moses allowed thousands of other descendants to reach the promised land and fulfill the covenant he entered into with God. This closing passage also guides our reading of what takes place in the book of Joshua. As Moses lay dying, Joshua consumes the spirit of his wisdom, and the Israelites immediately listen to him as he took on Moses’s role. They listen to what God had instructed Moses to do. I think this establishes a newfound obedience in the Israelites who had previously been doubtful of God. However, Joshua will never be able to fill the shoes of Moses. Moses had a unique relationship with God as he knew him “face to face” (Deuteronomy 34). Joshua never experiences this interaction with God, despite being the successor of Moses. 

The dictionary definition of purity is freedom from immorality, adulteration or contamination and impurity is the quality or condition of being impure. In the sense of the Bible, purity applies in the context of morality. To be impure is to be unfaithful to God’s covenant or to rebel against God’s law. In Leviticus 19 we see the various laws that the Lord puts forth. He first establishes he is the Lord alone and there should be no worship of other Gods. This is the most important law from which the other laws build upon. This is God’s effort to maintain purity in the world. The laws act as guidelines to direct the behavior of humans through love of God and others. This maintenance of purity relates to the maintenance of order emphasized by God. For example, the creation story in Genesis 1 has two major themes: creation and order. As God continues his process of creation, he separates various things such as light from dark, night from day, and water from land. This effort to maintain order is directly tied to the maintenance of purity; however, as purity relates to humans, order applies to all of God’s creations. 

Moreover, God comments on purity through the implementation of the food laws in Leviticus 11. There is a division between clean or pure and unclean or impure food. God distinguishes the clean sea animals as those who have fins and scales. He then proceeds to establish the rules for all of the animals he created. Essentially, humans are permitted to eat all of the clean animals and are forbidden from eating any of the unclean animals. As Douglas states, “order implies restriction,” and by restricting the types of animals humans can eat, God is creating order. These food laws are an extension of God’s effort to maintain order and purity among his creations. This keeps the relationship between humans and animals pure. 

The question of who is God is extremely complex; however, it is frequently questioned by many groups of people including monotheists, polytheists and atheists. For those who believe in one god or many gods, they seek to determine the role this god or gods play in life and the root of this experience with them. However, for those who do not believe in a god, this decision to not believe is still linked to the idea of a god or gods. The two roots of God’s image according to Ratzinger are God the Redeemer or Savior and God the Creator, which have existed since the beginning of religion. Moreover, the image of God has arisen through human experience. God is not to be relied on only when we are amidst times of despair; instead, God is meant to be appreciated during the fulness of life as well as the difficult times we endure. When humans experience the greatness of life, they grant thanks to God the Creator. Humans’ experiences with loneliness also explains the root of God. When we realize this loneliness is a cry for another being, specifically God, we experience the joy of a secure relationship with Him. 

Examining who God is through the lens of Christianity, we can refer to the Creed which begins with “I believe in God, the Father, the almighty, the creator.” By beginning this statement with “I believe,” there is a demonstration of faith. I think God can be thought of as a manifestation of one’s faith in a higher being. This profession is the foundation of the Christian religion and holds God at the center of this religion. This God is a loving, omnipotent, and merciful being who holds the life of his creations over all else. As seen through the sacred tradition and scripture, God has proven to be a benevolent being. For example, he guided Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt, to raise them out of their captivity and save their lives. 

Joseph originally releases his brothers, letting them return home. However, he intentionally plants a silver cup in the youngest brother’s bag and has his men seize the cup, preventing the brothers from traveling home. By planting the cup on the youngest brother, Joseph was testing his brothers. Years earlier his brothers had acted out of jealous and hatred for Joseph and sent him to Egypt with no remorse; however, when the brothers had the opportunity to do the same to Benjamin, they proved themselves to be transformed men. They did not leave their youngest brother to be arrested. Instead, they begged Joseph for mercy and pleaded innocence. Benjamin and Joseph are parallels throughout this narrative. Joseph had been the youngest son and his father’s favorite; however, when Jospeh was believed to be dead, Benjamin became the new youngest son and the new favorite of his father. The brothers could have easily eliminated the new beloved son, but their actions indicated they had changed. Anderson explains how the brother’s recognize their wrongdoing. When they are first thrown in jail in front of Joseph they confess, “Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother, we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us” (Genesis 42:21).The brother’s express their guilt for their actions and their ability to change. Additionally, throughout Genesis 37-50 there is particular attention to the beloved son. Starting with Joseph, Jacob favors him as his youngest son. Moreover, once Joseph is presumed dead, Benjamin, the new youngest son, takes over the role of beloved son. Furthermore, Joseph has two sons names Manaseeh and Ephriam. When he takes the two to be blessed by the dying Jacob, he demonstrates his favoritism for Ephriam, the younger son, as his beloved son. 

As Kass explains, Jacob develops into a complicated character. While at times he appears to be promising as he solves conflicts, he proves to be deceitful at other times throughout his life. In Genesis 32, Jacob encounters God. Jacob begins to wrestle with a man who at first was easily being defeated by Jacob. However, Jacob losses his control of the wrestle when the man touches the socket of Jacob’s hip. Although this touch does not seem to be able to hurt Jacob, his hip was injured. At the conclusion of the fight, Jacob appears to have physically lost, as he limps away due to his hip; however, I do not think Jacob lost this wrestle. Before Jacob and the man parted ways, the man blessed Jacob and told him his new name was Israel because after struggling with God and humans, Jacob had overcome these struggles. Additionally, Jacob concludes the man he wrestled with was God. In Genesis 32: 30 Jacob asserts, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” I think this is Jacob being rewarded for listening to God; for instance, in Genesis 31 God commands Jacob to return to his native land. Jacob immediately followed his command and returned to his father Isaac. This encounter Jacob experienced with God highlights the powerfulness of God and his merciful, loving nature. God could have easily crushed Jacob, but God restrained his power and gave his love to Jacob by blessing him despite being completely aware of Jacob’s deceitful past. Additionally, God had previously and consistently looked after Jacob throughout his life. For example, when Jacob’s wife Leah was unhappy he provided her with multiple sons. This wrestling is another example of God’s behavior which proves to be consistent. I think the narrative of Jacob amplifies God’s mercy because even when one strays from the good path, God maintains his love. 

I think religion is a word we take for granted. I often use this word, but I have never stopped to think about what the word truly means. Religion by the dictionary definition is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power especially a personal God or gods. This definition is vast in scope and encompasses a variety of traditions including Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and many more. They may be very different in terms of beliefs but they all are similar in that they focus on a higher power.  This is different from theology which is the study of God. Although theology can be a branch of religion I do no think this is the center of what religion is. The word religion comes from the Latin word religare, meaning to bind. Therefore, I do not think a religion is just the belief in a higher power. I think it is a way of living as a result of binding oneself to this belief in a higher power. Religion is incorporated into ones daily life not just the spiritual parts of the day such as praying or attending some type of service. I think religion influences how we make decisions and act. It can determine how we treat others such as deciding to put others first and approaching everyone with love and respect. Religion can also vary from person to person. The role it pays in each person’s life is different for everyone, and it may have a greater influence over one person’s actions than it does another’s. Moreover, religion requires faith. A higher power cannot be scientifically proven, so one must put their trust in a higher power and every day life. Practically there is no other way to go about life. Otherwise we would question everything we do in life from the stableness of the chair we sit in to the things our friends tell us about their personal lives. 

Faith is unavoidable in life in both a religious and secular context. In the scripture passages faith is an important component of a truly religious person. For example, Abraham demonstrated his faith when he followed God’s command to sacrifice his son. Moreover, Isaiah displays his faith when he states, “If you believe you will understand” (Isaiah 7:9). The disciples also exhibit unwavering faith in Christ later in the scriptures. The apostles both witnessed and believed in Christ. Despite knowing Christ personally, they still needed faith to known Christ. Additionally, religion is built upon faith in another way. Christianity has been passed down through a multitude of generations. We must have faith in the ones who came before us that they are teaching us the right way to practice the faith. For example, Wilken states, “they teach us how to use such words as God, Spirit, hope, grace, sin, (and) forgiveness”(174). We become comfortable with these words in our own lives and the teachings of those who came before us. In a non religious context, faith is essential with regards to historical knowledge. Historical events only happen once and are unique; therefore, one cannot verify that what is reported by the witness at the time of the event is actually true. We must rely on faith to trust that what the witness has recorded is actually true. Faith is beneficial because we acquire knowledge through faith both in a religious and secular context. In regards to religion, we learn of practices, attitudes and dispositions throughout history. The knowledge of God enters the mind and heart throughout time. In a secular context, we are prompted to questions things because of faith. We also learn things in a historical sense and believe the accuracy of facts about the past when we have faith. 

Abraham agrees to the request made by God because God has shown Abraham of his benevolence in the past. It was by God that Abraham’s wife was able to conceive Isaac, his son, so Abraham cannot question God, when he is told to sacrifice his son. Additionally, Abraham and God have a covenant or agreement between them. This is a type of exchange where God protects Abraham, and Abraham is obedient of the Lord. By agreeing to this request, Abraham is upholding his end of the covenant. In 22:5 Abraham is lying. He informs his servants he and Isaac will be back after they worship; however, according to the sacrifice Abraham agreed to, he knows Isaac will not be returning for the journey home. However, in 22:8 Abraham is not lying. When Issac questions where the lamb for the burnt offering is, Abraham says the God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice, and the Lord did provide Isaac. God alone was the one who allowed Sarai to conceive a child, so God did provide for the sacrifice. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his own son in order to test Abraham’s loyalty and obedience. There is no greater test than taking another’s life especially the life of one’s own child. This was even more difficult since Isaac was Abraham’s only son. He was the only way to ensure Abraham’s name was carried on; however, Abraham did not prevent this from following God’s orders. I think Abraham is praiseworthy in this situation since he acts selflessly. He shows no concern that his name will not be carried on. Instead, he acted with only God in mind. God shows he is praiseworthy throughout his interactions with Abraham. He provides Abraham with his own son when this seemed impossible. Moreover, in this situation God is praiseworthy because he ultimately does not command Abraham to sacrifice his son. God is able to test Abraham in the most severe way but does not force him to actually carry through with the sacrifice. 

Originally God creates a wholly good world. From Genesis 1 with the creation story, the water, land, animals and humans are all ordered in the way God intended. However, humans begin to corrupt this perfect creation. Throughout Genesis there is a common theme of sin. Starting with Genesis 3, Adam and Eve sin by disobeying God and eating from the tree they were strictly forbidden from eating from. Also, in Genesis 4 Cain murders his brother Abel out of jealousy. Additionally, in Genesis 6 God comments on the wickedness which has consumed humankind. This drives God to flood the Earth to clear the world of all of the sinful humans. Throughout Genesis the narratives build on each other and illustrate the sinful nature of humankind. Additionally, Genesis 3 and the narrative about Noah are further connected. Both begin with a statement explaining how God created humans in the image of God. By creating humans in the likeness of God, God intended them to obey him and continue to maintain order for all of his creations. However, in both Genesis 3 and the narrative about Noah, humans stray from this duty. Moreover, both parts of the scripture emphasize a reversal of God’s creation. In Genesis 1 God creates order in the world; for example, one way he does this is by separating the land and water. He also instructs the humans to be fruitful and have domain or maintain order on Earth. By sinning in Genesis 3 and in the narrative about Noah, humans are not maintaining order. Additionally, by flooding the Earth, the separation of land and water is being destroyed, and by clearing the Earth of all humans, all of the work done to be fruitful is destroyed. Genesis highlights that throughout time humans have greater distanced themselves from God’s perfect image of creation.