There’s a lot to look forward to in the Old Testament.  One thing is the stories like old friends.

Simple, vivid, told in the beautiful poetic language of the King James’ Version, delighting children… and me.

The Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah, Sarah and Isaac, Abraham and Isaac, Rebekah and the servant, Jacob and Esau, Jacob and Rachel/Leah, Jacob wrestling with the Lord,

Joseph and the coat of many colors, Joseph  and Potiphar’s wife, Joseph interpreting the dreams,  Joseph and his brothers, Moses and the bullrushes–the burning bush–the ten plagues–the red sea–too many stories from Moses, Joshua and the battle of Jericho, Gideon, David, Solomon, Elijah….  I’ve left off so many.

We wrestle with these like Jacob wrestled the Lord–why did Isaac favor Esau and why did Rebekah lie to  Isaac and so on–because they are so vivid and real.  It is easy to wrestle down abstractions.