DAY FOUR & FIVE (WEEK-END) Genesis Chapters 10-11

Genesis Chapters 10 -11
Chapters 10 and 11 of Genesis contain lists and genealogies—not exactly the most exciting material. But there are two things that fascinate me about them:

1) I enjoy tracing out Jesus’ ancestry and separating it from the rest. For example, I look sadly at Cain’s (4:17-24), but hopefully toward Seth’s (5:1-32); after the Flood, we take note of Ham and Japheth’s lines (10:1-20—notice all the famous nations!), but look expectantly toward Shem’s (10:21-31; 11:10-26). At the end of Genesis 11 we are rewarded with Abram, the father of God’s people!

2) I am saddened by the gradual shortening of life spans. At the start, it was not unusual for people to live 900 years or more; but by Abram, we have almost reached “normal” life spans. If I take all this stuff at face value, which I do, then there must be some explanation. From Genesis 3:22, we can see that God’s original plan for people was that they live forever. We sinned. God separated us from the Tree of Life. And the life-giving effects of the Garden faded! Sad as this is, we have Revelation 21-22 to assure believers of Paradise regained!

The only narrative of Genesis 10-11 is the Tower of Babel. How sad! Pathetically, the people begin to act as if they were God (like little ancient Nietzsches!). I noticed the repetition of “Come, let us…” Though they are attempting to play God, God has the last “Come, let us…” (11:7), and with it, confuses their language so that no two of them can say “Come, let us...” and know what the other is saying. They’ll have to wait for their kids to grow up!

Don’t you wonder why God refers to himself as “us?”

Tomorrow, we begin Abraham’s story.

God bless,

Pastor Gary

PS Please note that our Bible reading almost always allows two days for one reading on the week-end.

DAY THREE Genesis Chapters 6-9

I'm a literalist. I confess it.  As I read these chapters detailing the DELUGE, the details are the driving force for me. I've read some of the "other" flood stories of ancient literature, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh;but they read like fairy tales, where Genesis reads like a "captain's log," numbering the days and providing special landmarks for several of the days along the way.

For my money, there was an actual world-wide flood whose history was preserved, with God's help, in Genesis. The many other "flood stories" exist, because there really was a flood. They do not agree, because those stories did not have God's assistance!

I love God's covenant and the sign God provides in Genesis 9; we must never take "rainbows" for granted. But isn't it depressing that after the Flood, God still must say, "The intention of the human heart is evil from youth." (Genesis 8:21) This reminds us that the Flood was only a temporary "fix."

NOTE:  If you are interested in my best guess for what in goodness is being described in Genesis 6:1-4, read 2 Peter 2:4-5 and Jude 6-7. If you're still flummoxed, then let's talk.

What an amazing book God has given us!

Pastor Gary

DAY TWO Genesis Chapters 3-5

On the second day of our Bible read-thru, we have already reached the doorstep of the Flood. I don’t want to just whisk my way through these familiar passages. Is there something the Lord wants me to notice for the first time? Are there fresh insights and new applications? These first 11 chapters of Genesis are absolutely critical for our grasp of the rest of the Bible. I just read in an awesome commentary by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (What a name!) these stats:  “Genesis is quoted or cross-referenced throughout the Scriptures more than any of the other books of the Bible…the New Testament quotes or refers to Genesis at least 200 times… About 100 of these are from Genesis 1-11.”

What we are reading in these opening days of 2014 is foundational to all that we believe.

In Genesis 3-4, I am intrigued by the questions God asks people. “Where are you?” He asks Adam and Eve. Where is your brother?” He asks Cain. God asks questions not because God doesn’t know the answers, but so that human beings have the opportunity to respond to Him. Will we respond with honesty or deception?

One more little FRESH INSIGHT:  Surely I knew this:  but Cain is the “big brother,” and Abel the “little brother.”  From near the beginning, God warns us, by a negative example, how important it is for older siblings to love and include the younger ones!

See you tomorrow!

Pastor Gary

DAY ONE Genesis Chapters 1 & 2

What a joy to read the Word of God together as a congregation!  When we uncover nuggets of wisdom and flashes of insight, we can share them with one another.  When we hit the doldrums of Deuteronomy or the law-lists of Leviticus, we can encourage one another.  I plan to blog a bit each day of 2014.  I may miss a day here or there, but the attempt will help me to be faithful and to be an encouragement for you.

Today’s reading took us back to the beginning.  Some say that these are two separate “creation stories;” I like to describe them as “one creation account within another,” with Genesis 2:4-25 providing details concerning God’s activity on the sixth day of creation described in Genesis 1:24-31. 

How does Genesis 2:7 make you feel?  Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.   Apparently, God was willing to get his hands dirty to make us!

Uh oh, tomorrow, already, sin breaks into the world!