I am basically doing my homework on this blog to keep a record of it, and share what I am learning with anyone interested. These are my answers to the study questions in the book Bible Doctrine. This stuff's not for everyone, I can tell you that much! But if you are enjoying it, please feel free to comment.
Systematic Theology: Systematic theology is any study that answers the question, "What does the whole Bible teach us today?" about any given topic.
Systematic theology is different from other theological disciplines such as historical theology (a study of how Christians have understood theological topics through various time periods), philosophical theology (study of peoples philosophies of God through observation of the universe), apologetics (defense of the truthfulness of the Christian faith), and others such as Survey of the Old Testament, or New Testament in general. Systematic Theology simply deals directly with a Biblical perspective on major issues. It is a study of what the Bible plainly says, not open to peoples thoughts or feelings on any given subject. This is the study of God's word alone. While the survey of the Bible is also the study of God's word alone, it is not a study of what God's word says about certain subjects. So that is the difference between Systematic Theology and other disciplines.
A doctrine is what the whole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic. It is the result of the process of doing systematic theology with regard to one particular topic.
Why is it important for Christians to study systematic theology?
Matt 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of age."
So the basic reason for studying systematic theology is that it properly enables us to teach both ourselves and others what the whole Bible says, therefore heeding this command.
Another reason, and I see this problem in every Christian, including myself, is that we have a tendency to form our own thoughts and opinions, that to us, seem reasonable and just. Because we are prone to sin, as humans, this can lead to faulty thinking. We can find ourselves going down the wrong path even though we think we're right. It is important to always come back to the Word, even if we don't like what we see. It is the Word of God, like it or not. If we ground our decisions on the Word regardless of wether it makes us feel good, we will ultimately make the right choices and know who God really is.
The more we study what the Bible says, the less we think for ourselves (leading to sin), which might sound crazy to the unsaved, but to those of us who trust in God, we understand that His word, like a parent's word to their child, is final.
The more we study what the Bible says, the more we know about who God really is, rather than basing our knowledge of Him on what we like to believe, or what other's have told us. I don't know about you, but the more I study God's word, the more I realize just how powerful and sovereign God is. The less I think of me, and the more I think of Him. The closer I become to the real God, and let go of my "ideas" of a man-made god. It really can make a huge difference in your walk with God.
I have often heard, and thought myself that the idea of predestination, and our ideas of salvation, don't affect our walk with God, but I have sense realized that they do. I have never known God like I do now. I have never felt closer to Him than I do now. It's because I know what the Bible says about my salvation and God's sovereignty. My approach to everything is different. My outlook on life is different. So much can come of knowing the truth straight out of the Bible rather than just knowing someone's thoughts or feelings. It IS important to know the truth, in every aspect of life. It DOES make a difference.
My next question to answer is what are the 6 attitudes or activities that should accompany our study of systematic theology?
Study with prayer, humility, reason, help from others, collection and understanding of scriptures having to do with our topic, and last but definitely not least, praise and rejoicing!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Genesis
Well, I finished reading Genesis, but never blogged any more. I think most people are aware of the link from Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Joseph. Abraham was told to sacrifice his son as a test of his faith. He passed and Isaac's life was spared. Lesson I learned was to put God before my children. Not something I am good at doing. I don't know that I would ever be willing to sacrifice any of my children, to be completely honest. That to me is completely unfathomable. Thank God for grace and forgiveness, because I am not as strong as Abraham was. Next, Isaac begot Jacob and Esau, the twins. Jacob has me a bit perplexed, as he is considered a great man of the Bible even though he seems to me to be a very dishonest man. He steals Esau's birth rite, and blessing. I guess the lesson here is that many times, God's plan and will, will not look like we think it should look. He had a hand in all of this, it all happened according to God's will. Just because it doesn't sit well with my understanding doesn't mean it won't be used for the glory of God. Everything that happens is being used for the glory of God. These happenings all lead to the birth of Joseph, who teaches us many good lessons. Lessons about understanding the sovereignty of God, and in that finding forgiveness for man with understanding that their actions are predestined by God. When we find ourselves upset with others' because of their actions, we find ourselves' upset with God's plan in our lives. We should instead, hate the sin itself, but not the sinner. We are all being used of God for His glory, not for our happiness. It's not about us, it's about God. All the bad in this world is a product of our own sin. We are all equally responsible for it. Any good in this world is God's glory shining through. That God that He allows that good to shine through, so we aren't completely stuck in the darkness of our sinful nature. Everyone of us has more than we deserve, and Joseph saw this. He is a great example of a humble spirit as well as good stewardship of our resources.
So now I am reading Job, since the happenings of Job happened during the same time toward the end of Genesis. I am also taking a class at church called The Whole Counsel of God, which deals with Systematic Theology and how the Bible deals with certain issues that come up in the world. The text we are reading is, Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith, by Wayne Grudem. More later....
Again, any criticism, comments, or musings on my thoughts are gladly welcome!
So now I am reading Job, since the happenings of Job happened during the same time toward the end of Genesis. I am also taking a class at church called The Whole Counsel of God, which deals with Systematic Theology and how the Bible deals with certain issues that come up in the world. The text we are reading is, Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith, by Wayne Grudem. More later....
Again, any criticism, comments, or musings on my thoughts are gladly welcome!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Old Testament in a Nutshell
I am taking a break from Genesis for now to prepare for my final in my Old Testament Survey class. I figure one good way to remember everything is to write about it and then anyone who's interested can read it as well.
So one thing we have learned is how the Old Testament is laid out. I think most people know it is not in chronological order. There are 39 books in the OT. The first five are known as the Pentateuch. They lay the foundation for our lives, and outline the typical pattern of our walk with God.
You have Genesis, the book of beginnings. What was your beginning with your walk in Christ? I was 21, living the life of a party girl and going down hill fast. God brought me to Him using my my future husband at the time.
The book of Exodus is about deliverance. What did God deliver you from when you began your new life in Him? He delivered me from an empty, pointless life of partying, drinking, drugs, and sexual relationships. He delivered me from bondage of a low self worth and anger of past hurts.
Leviticus is a book of worship and holiness. What is your praise to God? I praise God that despite my horrible lifestyle He loved me. Despite everything that I was and quite frankly, everything that I still am, He loves me. He provides for me. He is my strength, my refuge, and my security. I know that I have NOTHING to fear because He is in control. I can just rest and rely on Him. I have so much more to praise Him for. More than I could ever write down.
Then we have the book of Numbers. The book of wanderings. They are whining and complaining and doubting God's will in their lives. I am sure this sounds familiar to everyone. What are you whining about, worried about, and or doubting in your life right now? I have the ongoing complaint of all of my struggles with my children. I whine often about just being exhausted by the end of the day, and have honestly, at times, wished I didn't have children, or at least not all 3. It's ridiculous really. I use to whine about how God wouldn't let me have children and now He has blessed me with the huge honor of 3 beautiful children without even the aid of fertility treatment and I am complaining? I should have nothing but praise, but instead I often complain.
The 5th book of the Pentateuch is Deuteronomy, a book of reminders, or second law. There are 3 major sermons taught in this book:
1. What God has done.
2. What God is doing.
3. What God will do.
After reflecting on the first 4 areas of our walk with Him, we can read this book and apply the messages to our lives comparing our lives to those of the Israelites. It's an interesting pattern that we can all actually relate to quite well. There are many timeless messages in the OT that shouldn't be forgotten about.
Next we have the Historical Books covering the rise of the Hebrew Nation
Joshua- the book of conquest
Judges- the book of cycles
Ruth- the book of the kinsman redeemer
1 & 2 Samuel- judges to kings & David's reign
The Monarchy Books which overlap a bit as they include:
1 & 2 Samuel- judges to kings & David's reign
1 & 2 Kings- united/divided kingdom & Israel and Judah fall
1 & 2 Chronicles- God's view of the Judah's kings
Next we have the Post Exilic books
Ezra- Rebuild the Temple
Nehemiah- Rebuild the Walls
Esther- Providence & Preservation
Then there are the Poetical Books
Job- Suffering and Sovereignty
Psalms- Worship
Proverbs- Wisdom
Ecclessiastes- Vanity
Song of Solomon- Romance
Then we have the Prophets divided into two groups:
Major Prophets- (Simply because they are longer):
Isaiah- Salvation
Jeremiah- Warnings
Lamentations- written by Jeremiah, mourning
Ezekiel- Restoration
Daniel- Destiny- God's sovereign plan for Israel
The Minor Prophets- (shorter, not in height, =D LOL):
Hosea- Loyal love
Joel- The Day of the Lord
Obadiah- Judgment on Edom
Jonah- God's Mercy on the Repentant
Micah- The Justice of God
Nahum- Nineveh's Judgement
Habakkuk- Judgment on Judah
Zephaniah- Future Global Judgment
Haggai- Construct the Temple
Zechariah- Preparation for the Messiah
Malachi- True Worship
Many of the books in the OT cover the same time period as another. The book of Job takes place at the same time as the happenings in Genesis, toward the end. Genesis covers 4000 years. The poetry books were written by David during his reign, Job, and Solomon during his reign. They express what they were feeling while the Monarchy books state the facts all concerning the same time period. There are many other overlaps like this through out the Bible that are good to know so you understand where they are coming from. The light goes on and it makes so much more sense when you understand the background.
So here's a walk through of the OT in 8 steps, coming from a reference guide compiled by Ron and Linda Sluder for the East Valley Bible Institute "Old Testament Survey" class.
1. 3 Cycles in Genesis:
Cycles of Sin, Judgment, Redemption, and Promise
1) Edenic- Sin was disobedience in eating the fruit, Judgment was the curse to follow, Redemption- Animal skin coverings, Promise was Gen 3:15 1st mention of Gospel and promised offspring of woman.
2) Noahic- Sin was continual disobedience and wickedness of man, Judgment was the flood, Redemption was the ark, and Promise was never to do it again Gen 9:27 rainbow reminder.
3) Abrahamic- Sin was the tower striving upward toward God (idea of self suficeincy), Judgment was confused languages, Redemption was tied together with Promise in the new nations of Israel and the line to the Messiah through Abraham.
2. Why did they end up in Egypt. Not just because of famine. They lost 3 things:
Purpose, to worship God and build altars.
Unity, sons of Jacob want to kill their own brother.
Seperation, intermarrying with the Canaanites, becoming of the world and not holy and separated for God.
3. God makes a nation with 3 ingredients: Exodus through Joshua
1) People - Jacob's family grows from 70 to 2 million in only 430 years.
2) Constitution - Law is given on Mount Sanai
3) Land - They divide and conquer Jericho under Joshua's leadership.
4. Problems: Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel
Judges: They didn't fully occupy the land and allowed the worldly Canaanites to remain and didn't listen to God. They did what was right in their own eyes instead. As a result they fall into 7 cycles of Sin, Servitude, Supplication and Salvation by way of a judge/leader.
Ruth: A bright spot in an otherwise terrible time. A redeemed pagan Moabite woman becomes Great Grandmother to David the future King and line to the Messiah.
Eli & Sons: Everything gets worse - Eli & sons die leaving no priest, the ark captured, no throne. Shiloh is burned leaving no capital, the Philistines are in control which means no land, and Israel rejects God leaving them no king. Then they cry out for a king for all the wrong reasons - to be like the other nations.
5.120 years of Monarchy: 1 Samuel - 1 Kings 11
Samuel: last judge and a prophet, transition from judges to kings.
1st: King Saul: people's choice, no heart for God, commits suicide after trying to kill David.
2nd: King David: God's choice, man after God's own heart, retrieves ark, conquers Jerusalem, loves God and wants to build a temple for Him. He sins big time with Bathsheba, but gives us Psalm 51 model of repentance.
3rd: King Solomon : Starts well. Asks for wisdom, writes most of Proverbs and Song of Solomon, but then gets out of hand w/ too many horses, wives, and too much money. All things God warned him against. He repents with Ecclesiastes but the nation still splits in 931 BC.
Each king reigns for 40 years.
6. Kingdom splits and prophets speak. 1 Kings 12- 2 Kings
10 tribes to Judah (south), and 2 tribes to Israel (North).
Israel has 19 bad kings and is captured by Assyria in 722 BC.
Judah has 20 kings, 8 good, and is captured by Babylon in 605BC
Prophets speak but no one listens causing them to end up in exile for 70 years.
7. Captivity/Exile End of 2 Kings, Ezekiel, Daniel
God uses their time in captivity to teach them through Ezekiel and Daniel about 5 points:
1) Man's sin.
2) God's righteousness
3) The need for repentance
4) Redemption for repentance
5) Consequences if no repentance
8. Return from Exile (prep for Messiah) (Ezra - Nehemiah)
Return happens in 3 groups. 1st group works on rebuilding the temple. 2nd group works on rebuilding the people, mass divorce from pagan wives. 3rd group works on rebuilding the walls in 52 days. (quite a feat)
Prophets: Haggai says build the temple, Zechariah says repent, Malachi says worship in truth. Haggai tells everyone that all that is going on will be better as this is all preparation for the Messiah to come.
Thus begins the 400 years of silence.
So one thing we have learned is how the Old Testament is laid out. I think most people know it is not in chronological order. There are 39 books in the OT. The first five are known as the Pentateuch. They lay the foundation for our lives, and outline the typical pattern of our walk with God.
You have Genesis, the book of beginnings. What was your beginning with your walk in Christ? I was 21, living the life of a party girl and going down hill fast. God brought me to Him using my my future husband at the time.
The book of Exodus is about deliverance. What did God deliver you from when you began your new life in Him? He delivered me from an empty, pointless life of partying, drinking, drugs, and sexual relationships. He delivered me from bondage of a low self worth and anger of past hurts.
Leviticus is a book of worship and holiness. What is your praise to God? I praise God that despite my horrible lifestyle He loved me. Despite everything that I was and quite frankly, everything that I still am, He loves me. He provides for me. He is my strength, my refuge, and my security. I know that I have NOTHING to fear because He is in control. I can just rest and rely on Him. I have so much more to praise Him for. More than I could ever write down.
Then we have the book of Numbers. The book of wanderings. They are whining and complaining and doubting God's will in their lives. I am sure this sounds familiar to everyone. What are you whining about, worried about, and or doubting in your life right now? I have the ongoing complaint of all of my struggles with my children. I whine often about just being exhausted by the end of the day, and have honestly, at times, wished I didn't have children, or at least not all 3. It's ridiculous really. I use to whine about how God wouldn't let me have children and now He has blessed me with the huge honor of 3 beautiful children without even the aid of fertility treatment and I am complaining? I should have nothing but praise, but instead I often complain.
The 5th book of the Pentateuch is Deuteronomy, a book of reminders, or second law. There are 3 major sermons taught in this book:
1. What God has done.
2. What God is doing.
3. What God will do.
After reflecting on the first 4 areas of our walk with Him, we can read this book and apply the messages to our lives comparing our lives to those of the Israelites. It's an interesting pattern that we can all actually relate to quite well. There are many timeless messages in the OT that shouldn't be forgotten about.
Next we have the Historical Books covering the rise of the Hebrew Nation
Joshua- the book of conquest
Judges- the book of cycles
Ruth- the book of the kinsman redeemer
1 & 2 Samuel- judges to kings & David's reign
The Monarchy Books which overlap a bit as they include:
1 & 2 Samuel- judges to kings & David's reign
1 & 2 Kings- united/divided kingdom & Israel and Judah fall
1 & 2 Chronicles- God's view of the Judah's kings
Next we have the Post Exilic books
Ezra- Rebuild the Temple
Nehemiah- Rebuild the Walls
Esther- Providence & Preservation
Then there are the Poetical Books
Job- Suffering and Sovereignty
Psalms- Worship
Proverbs- Wisdom
Ecclessiastes- Vanity
Song of Solomon- Romance
Then we have the Prophets divided into two groups:
Major Prophets- (Simply because they are longer):
Isaiah- Salvation
Jeremiah- Warnings
Lamentations- written by Jeremiah, mourning
Ezekiel- Restoration
Daniel- Destiny- God's sovereign plan for Israel
The Minor Prophets- (shorter, not in height, =D LOL):
Hosea- Loyal love
Joel- The Day of the Lord
Obadiah- Judgment on Edom
Jonah- God's Mercy on the Repentant
Micah- The Justice of God
Nahum- Nineveh's Judgement
Habakkuk- Judgment on Judah
Zephaniah- Future Global Judgment
Haggai- Construct the Temple
Zechariah- Preparation for the Messiah
Malachi- True Worship
Many of the books in the OT cover the same time period as another. The book of Job takes place at the same time as the happenings in Genesis, toward the end. Genesis covers 4000 years. The poetry books were written by David during his reign, Job, and Solomon during his reign. They express what they were feeling while the Monarchy books state the facts all concerning the same time period. There are many other overlaps like this through out the Bible that are good to know so you understand where they are coming from. The light goes on and it makes so much more sense when you understand the background.
So here's a walk through of the OT in 8 steps, coming from a reference guide compiled by Ron and Linda Sluder for the East Valley Bible Institute "Old Testament Survey" class.
1. 3 Cycles in Genesis:
Cycles of Sin, Judgment, Redemption, and Promise
1) Edenic- Sin was disobedience in eating the fruit, Judgment was the curse to follow, Redemption- Animal skin coverings, Promise was Gen 3:15 1st mention of Gospel and promised offspring of woman.
2) Noahic- Sin was continual disobedience and wickedness of man, Judgment was the flood, Redemption was the ark, and Promise was never to do it again Gen 9:27 rainbow reminder.
3) Abrahamic- Sin was the tower striving upward toward God (idea of self suficeincy), Judgment was confused languages, Redemption was tied together with Promise in the new nations of Israel and the line to the Messiah through Abraham.
2. Why did they end up in Egypt. Not just because of famine. They lost 3 things:
Purpose, to worship God and build altars.
Unity, sons of Jacob want to kill their own brother.
Seperation, intermarrying with the Canaanites, becoming of the world and not holy and separated for God.
3. God makes a nation with 3 ingredients: Exodus through Joshua
1) People - Jacob's family grows from 70 to 2 million in only 430 years.
2) Constitution - Law is given on Mount Sanai
3) Land - They divide and conquer Jericho under Joshua's leadership.
4. Problems: Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel
Judges: They didn't fully occupy the land and allowed the worldly Canaanites to remain and didn't listen to God. They did what was right in their own eyes instead. As a result they fall into 7 cycles of Sin, Servitude, Supplication and Salvation by way of a judge/leader.
Ruth: A bright spot in an otherwise terrible time. A redeemed pagan Moabite woman becomes Great Grandmother to David the future King and line to the Messiah.
Eli & Sons: Everything gets worse - Eli & sons die leaving no priest, the ark captured, no throne. Shiloh is burned leaving no capital, the Philistines are in control which means no land, and Israel rejects God leaving them no king. Then they cry out for a king for all the wrong reasons - to be like the other nations.
5.120 years of Monarchy: 1 Samuel - 1 Kings 11
Samuel: last judge and a prophet, transition from judges to kings.
1st: King Saul: people's choice, no heart for God, commits suicide after trying to kill David.
2nd: King David: God's choice, man after God's own heart, retrieves ark, conquers Jerusalem, loves God and wants to build a temple for Him. He sins big time with Bathsheba, but gives us Psalm 51 model of repentance.
3rd: King Solomon : Starts well. Asks for wisdom, writes most of Proverbs and Song of Solomon, but then gets out of hand w/ too many horses, wives, and too much money. All things God warned him against. He repents with Ecclesiastes but the nation still splits in 931 BC.
Each king reigns for 40 years.
6. Kingdom splits and prophets speak. 1 Kings 12- 2 Kings
10 tribes to Judah (south), and 2 tribes to Israel (North).
Israel has 19 bad kings and is captured by Assyria in 722 BC.
Judah has 20 kings, 8 good, and is captured by Babylon in 605BC
Prophets speak but no one listens causing them to end up in exile for 70 years.
7. Captivity/Exile End of 2 Kings, Ezekiel, Daniel
God uses their time in captivity to teach them through Ezekiel and Daniel about 5 points:
1) Man's sin.
2) God's righteousness
3) The need for repentance
4) Redemption for repentance
5) Consequences if no repentance
8. Return from Exile (prep for Messiah) (Ezra - Nehemiah)
Return happens in 3 groups. 1st group works on rebuilding the temple. 2nd group works on rebuilding the people, mass divorce from pagan wives. 3rd group works on rebuilding the walls in 52 days. (quite a feat)
Prophets: Haggai says build the temple, Zechariah says repent, Malachi says worship in truth. Haggai tells everyone that all that is going on will be better as this is all preparation for the Messiah to come.
Thus begins the 400 years of silence.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Genesis 5-8
Chapter 5
So in this chapter there's nothing too interesting too me, except that everyone seemed to live around 800-900 years old. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to live in a world like that for 800-900 years!! Of course, hell is even worse, and an eternity is obviously much longer. I thank the Lord for grace. We don't have it as bad here anymore, and we only live for about 80 years, and if we accept Jesus in our hearts as our Lord and Savior, and give up our fleshly life for new life in Him, we get to spend our eternity in a Paradise with Him. How great is that? We don't deserve any of it of course, because we're all wretched creatures by nature. Reading the Old Testament paints an interesting picture of what we are without Christ. It is only by His grace and power that we are able to do good in this world. Praise be to God.
We also learn that Noah is 500 when he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth
Chapter 6
Verse 4 has me a bit confused. Are Nephilim giants? Are they good, bad, what are they? It seems they are a result of some sort of Godly beings joining with women and having children together. But then it says they were heroes. It certainly has me intrigued. I am lost on this one. If someone has some insight I am all ears, or possibly eyes, as the case may be.
Anyhow, God decides He's had it with the evil in the world and decides to wipe the slate clean. He gives Noah a huge job of making an ark big enough for his family and all the types of animals on the earth. Now I have heard many people say it is ridiculous to think that Noah could have gone out and gotten all of the animals to just come with him and get on this big ark. They're right, but that's not what happened at all. Verse 20 says that 2 of every animal would come to him. God sent them. Something I take from all of this, is when God gives us a job that seems difficult or just plain impossible, He is there helping us all the way. When it is truly His will, a job of Him, it will be finished. He will see too it. I think when we are struggling with jobs to the point of failure, we ought to question whether the job is really in God's interest or our own. Not that the going won't get tough when it's of Him, but we just need to be realistic in our evaluation of what we are doing and who it's really for.
Chapter 7
Everything happened the way God commanded and the floods remained on the earth for about 5 months! That is a long time to hang out on an ark with every species of animal to take care of. And I am sorry to bring this up, but that's a lot of poop patrol to deal with. Yuk!!
Chapter 8
So apparently the floods only started to go down after 5 months. They still had to wait on the ark. The ark landed on Mount Ararat, and there they waited. It's seems to me that they were on the ark for about a year and 2 months? It's hard to follow. But I think that's the gist of it anyhow. Finally God tells them they can come out.
Noah makes an altar and offers a sacrafice to the Lord, which pleases Him. Then the Lord says in verse 21 "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though [a] every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done..." The Lord Himself says that "every inclination of man's heart is evil". How then can anyone think it is us who chooses Him. Why would evil choose God? It wouldn't. Of course something else interesting, is how then can God find it in Himself to bless evil hearted people. Not one of us deserves it, and no Christian should ever think themselves any better than a non-Christian. God has amazing Grace, that we could never understand fully while on this earth in our fleshly bodies. He is Amazing! We are scum. Plain and simple.
So in this chapter there's nothing too interesting too me, except that everyone seemed to live around 800-900 years old. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to live in a world like that for 800-900 years!! Of course, hell is even worse, and an eternity is obviously much longer. I thank the Lord for grace. We don't have it as bad here anymore, and we only live for about 80 years, and if we accept Jesus in our hearts as our Lord and Savior, and give up our fleshly life for new life in Him, we get to spend our eternity in a Paradise with Him. How great is that? We don't deserve any of it of course, because we're all wretched creatures by nature. Reading the Old Testament paints an interesting picture of what we are without Christ. It is only by His grace and power that we are able to do good in this world. Praise be to God.
We also learn that Noah is 500 when he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth
Chapter 6
Verse 4 has me a bit confused. Are Nephilim giants? Are they good, bad, what are they? It seems they are a result of some sort of Godly beings joining with women and having children together. But then it says they were heroes. It certainly has me intrigued. I am lost on this one. If someone has some insight I am all ears, or possibly eyes, as the case may be.
Anyhow, God decides He's had it with the evil in the world and decides to wipe the slate clean. He gives Noah a huge job of making an ark big enough for his family and all the types of animals on the earth. Now I have heard many people say it is ridiculous to think that Noah could have gone out and gotten all of the animals to just come with him and get on this big ark. They're right, but that's not what happened at all. Verse 20 says that 2 of every animal would come to him. God sent them. Something I take from all of this, is when God gives us a job that seems difficult or just plain impossible, He is there helping us all the way. When it is truly His will, a job of Him, it will be finished. He will see too it. I think when we are struggling with jobs to the point of failure, we ought to question whether the job is really in God's interest or our own. Not that the going won't get tough when it's of Him, but we just need to be realistic in our evaluation of what we are doing and who it's really for.
Chapter 7
Everything happened the way God commanded and the floods remained on the earth for about 5 months! That is a long time to hang out on an ark with every species of animal to take care of. And I am sorry to bring this up, but that's a lot of poop patrol to deal with. Yuk!!
Chapter 8
So apparently the floods only started to go down after 5 months. They still had to wait on the ark. The ark landed on Mount Ararat, and there they waited. It's seems to me that they were on the ark for about a year and 2 months? It's hard to follow. But I think that's the gist of it anyhow. Finally God tells them they can come out.
Noah makes an altar and offers a sacrafice to the Lord, which pleases Him. Then the Lord says in verse 21 "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though [a] every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done..." The Lord Himself says that "every inclination of man's heart is evil". How then can anyone think it is us who chooses Him. Why would evil choose God? It wouldn't. Of course something else interesting, is how then can God find it in Himself to bless evil hearted people. Not one of us deserves it, and no Christian should ever think themselves any better than a non-Christian. God has amazing Grace, that we could never understand fully while on this earth in our fleshly bodies. He is Amazing! We are scum. Plain and simple.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Genesis 4
In this chapter, of the book of beginnings, we have the first joining, if you will, of man and woman in intimacy, leading to the first person recorded to be born in the painful labor promised. I notice that Eve gives glory to God for the creation of this child, Cain. The next recorded birth is Abel.
As they grow up, Abel keeps flocks, while Cain does farming of land. They both bring offerings to the Lord, but Abel's is pleasing to God and Cain's is not. Cain then get's angry but God says something, that I found interesting, to Cain. He says basically, 'Hello? Why are you angry. If you do good do you not get rewarded? What do you expect when you give in to sinful desire. You should learn from this not to let sin get the best of you.' There's some words ponder. Anyhow, Cain doesn't take this well and as you know, murders his brother in anger. So now we have the first fight, and murder. Things are starting to get ugly.
To be honest, as I read this story, I think to myself, "What a horrible person to just think that it's OK to give the junk he has left over to God", but then I am reminded of the verse in Matthew 25:40 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' and I think to myself, "how many times, first of all, have I given God my left over time, but also how many times do I think it's somehow noble of me to give all the stuff I am not using to people who can't afford it. What have I ever truly sacrificed for God and the people he lays in my path." My mind is blank with examples. I have nothing. I rarely, if ever, truly sacrifice me, my time, and my things, and my wants for Him. So rarely that I can't even think of an example. Now granted, I don't think I could ever murder out of anger, but times were different then, and God doesn't measure sin, so I am no better than Cain.
So then Eve gives birth to another child, Seth who is said to take the place of Abel, although I wonder if Eve really felt that way. I certainly wouldn't. But again, things are different these days. Maybe our mindset is different. Anyhow, the very last words of the chapter state that at this time, many began to proclaim the name of the Lord. I wonder if this is when people started to see how much they need Him. It seems to me like that's what they're saying here.
As they grow up, Abel keeps flocks, while Cain does farming of land. They both bring offerings to the Lord, but Abel's is pleasing to God and Cain's is not. Cain then get's angry but God says something, that I found interesting, to Cain. He says basically, 'Hello? Why are you angry. If you do good do you not get rewarded? What do you expect when you give in to sinful desire. You should learn from this not to let sin get the best of you.' There's some words ponder. Anyhow, Cain doesn't take this well and as you know, murders his brother in anger. So now we have the first fight, and murder. Things are starting to get ugly.
To be honest, as I read this story, I think to myself, "What a horrible person to just think that it's OK to give the junk he has left over to God", but then I am reminded of the verse in Matthew 25:40 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' and I think to myself, "how many times, first of all, have I given God my left over time, but also how many times do I think it's somehow noble of me to give all the stuff I am not using to people who can't afford it. What have I ever truly sacrificed for God and the people he lays in my path." My mind is blank with examples. I have nothing. I rarely, if ever, truly sacrifice me, my time, and my things, and my wants for Him. So rarely that I can't even think of an example. Now granted, I don't think I could ever murder out of anger, but times were different then, and God doesn't measure sin, so I am no better than Cain.
So then Eve gives birth to another child, Seth who is said to take the place of Abel, although I wonder if Eve really felt that way. I certainly wouldn't. But again, things are different these days. Maybe our mindset is different. Anyhow, the very last words of the chapter state that at this time, many began to proclaim the name of the Lord. I wonder if this is when people started to see how much they need Him. It seems to me like that's what they're saying here.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Genesis Chapter 3
This is beginning of sin, death, and sorrow.
The serpent which is apparently deceitfully attractive convinces Eve that God lied to her about the forbidden fruit of the tree of Knowledge, my son now calls it the know/no tree, and that it will actually make her to know everything and she will not die. Eve, being human is very tempted as would we all be. I sometimes have cursed the ground she walked on especially when I was in labor, but truthfully I am no better than she and would have done the same. This is such an eye opener to the truth that no one is good. We don't deserve heaven but yet God chooses to give it, to us in no doing of our own.
Anyhow, as I read on I think of how I as a mother would have reacted with my children in a similar way. He gives Satan a message that he will be destroyed and spared not. At the same time, he promises a savior that will undo the mess that Adam and Eve started. Vs. 15 In the mean time he assigns a punishment to each of His children. He wants them to learn and He want's us to realize that without Him, we are nothing. We can learn so much from this story. That we shouldn't play with temptation, that God loves us in spite of our sinful nature, that we don't deserve anything we have and therefore should never complain, and that God keeps His promises.
One punishment of Adam and Eve that is so prominent in marriages is the desire for women to rule over men, and men to have rule over women, obviously causing a clash between the two. Thankfully God helps His children with this if they come to Him and ask for it. In the New Testament there is a wonderful amount of help to understanding our roles in marriage, so becoming knowledgeable of these and adding prayer for strength we can have peace in our marriages now. Thanks be to our Savior!
Wow, vs. 22 is interesting. I didn't realize this was in here. I never really thought about the tree of life and what it would do. I also find it interesting that God actually confirms what Satan said, almost word for word. Satan wasn't so much lying as he was making something bad, look good. That's scary. It's something to think about when guarding yourself against false religion and teachings.
The serpent which is apparently deceitfully attractive convinces Eve that God lied to her about the forbidden fruit of the tree of Knowledge, my son now calls it the know/no tree, and that it will actually make her to know everything and she will not die. Eve, being human is very tempted as would we all be. I sometimes have cursed the ground she walked on especially when I was in labor, but truthfully I am no better than she and would have done the same. This is such an eye opener to the truth that no one is good. We don't deserve heaven but yet God chooses to give it, to us in no doing of our own.
Anyhow, as I read on I think of how I as a mother would have reacted with my children in a similar way. He gives Satan a message that he will be destroyed and spared not. At the same time, he promises a savior that will undo the mess that Adam and Eve started. Vs. 15 In the mean time he assigns a punishment to each of His children. He wants them to learn and He want's us to realize that without Him, we are nothing. We can learn so much from this story. That we shouldn't play with temptation, that God loves us in spite of our sinful nature, that we don't deserve anything we have and therefore should never complain, and that God keeps His promises.
One punishment of Adam and Eve that is so prominent in marriages is the desire for women to rule over men, and men to have rule over women, obviously causing a clash between the two. Thankfully God helps His children with this if they come to Him and ask for it. In the New Testament there is a wonderful amount of help to understanding our roles in marriage, so becoming knowledgeable of these and adding prayer for strength we can have peace in our marriages now. Thanks be to our Savior!
Wow, vs. 22 is interesting. I didn't realize this was in here. I never really thought about the tree of life and what it would do. I also find it interesting that God actually confirms what Satan said, almost word for word. Satan wasn't so much lying as he was making something bad, look good. That's scary. It's something to think about when guarding yourself against false religion and teachings.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Genesis Chapter 2
In the beginning of this chapter Moses explains that after God created everything, he liked what he saw and now rested on the 7th day. According to the original Hebrew text the word used for day literally translates to a 24 hour period in the text that speaks of the creation. That's pretty amazing stuff.
Then Moses goes on to describe the beautiful garden God created for Adam. Then He brings the animals to be named by Adam. I wonder what Adam's vocabulary was. Did he know every word there was to know at that time? Or did it matter? Did he just make up the words as he went, since God knows all? Ok, I know I think too much. That's probably why I never make it through the whole Bible!
Now God decides that man should not be alone and so He creates for him animals. This confused me a bit since in Chapter one, the animals were said to be made first, then Adam. Although, all on the same day, so I am not sure what the deal is. Maybe the events aren't necessarily listed in order for each day. But these animals weren't enough for Adam. He needed someone more like himself and so God makes woman from his rib. He takes her as his wife and we have the first man and woman. The first marriage. Genesis is the book of beginnings. Unfortunately the next beginning is not so sweet.
Then Moses goes on to describe the beautiful garden God created for Adam. Then He brings the animals to be named by Adam. I wonder what Adam's vocabulary was. Did he know every word there was to know at that time? Or did it matter? Did he just make up the words as he went, since God knows all? Ok, I know I think too much. That's probably why I never make it through the whole Bible!
Now God decides that man should not be alone and so He creates for him animals. This confused me a bit since in Chapter one, the animals were said to be made first, then Adam. Although, all on the same day, so I am not sure what the deal is. Maybe the events aren't necessarily listed in order for each day. But these animals weren't enough for Adam. He needed someone more like himself and so God makes woman from his rib. He takes her as his wife and we have the first man and woman. The first marriage. Genesis is the book of beginnings. Unfortunately the next beginning is not so sweet.
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