365 Day Bible Catch Up (Jacob)

Genesis 28 (starting in verse 10)

Jacob's ladder story happens here. Jacob calls it 'the House of God' and 'the Gate of Heaven'. God continues his covenant with Abraham through Jacob, stating "Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring" (28:14). Not only will Jacob's descendants be blessed through God's covenant with Abraham, but all peoples of the earth.

Jacob's vow has always perplexed me. "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking... then the Lord will be my God". That doesn't sound like the faith of Abraham.

Genesis 29

- Jacob arrives in the area of his uncle, Laban and meets Rachel. He greets her enthusiastically.
- Jacob ends up working for Laban for seven years in return for the hand of his daughter, Rachel. But when the time came to be married, Jacob slept with Leah (Rachel's older sister). When Jacob found out, this is of course after having slept with Leah, he asked Laban why he had deceived him. Laban gave a cultural response and gave Rachel to Jacob for another seven years of work. After the week long ceremony with Leah, Jacob was married to Rachel as well. "Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years" (29:30).

First, how in the world did Jacob not know who he was sleeping with? Was he drunk?

- The Lord saw that Leah was not loved and opened her womb and she gave birth to four sons - Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah

Genesis 30

- Rachel was now the jealous one. She gave Bilhah (her servant) to Jacob to sleep with so that Rachel could have a family as well. Bilhah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali.

Napthali means 'my struggle'. Rachel names her son (through Bilhah) Napthali because 'I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won'. What incredible jealousy!

- Now the pendulum had swung back and Leah was jealous. Leah gave her servant, Zilpah to Jacob to sleep with. Zilpah had Gad and Asher for Leah's side of the family.

- Reuben, the oldest goes out during harvest time and brought some mandrake plants back to Leah that he had found. Rachel asked for some and when Leah brushed her off, Rachel traded a night with Jacob for the mandrakes. "So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. 'You must sleep with me,' she said. 'I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.' So he slept with her that night." (Genesis 30:16). That's a very funny verse. But God gave Leah a son through this affair, Issachar. Leah then had a sixth son, Zebulun and then a daughter, Dinah.

- Finally after Leah had bore Jacob six sons, Bilhah had bore him two and Zilpah had bore him two, ten  sons in all, God remembered Rachel and she gave birth to Joseph. (11 sons).

- Jacob wishes to leave, but Laban asks him to stay because he has learned through divination that he has been blessed through Jacob. (That's another one of those things that I just noticed that others are getting blessed just by being in proximity to Abraham. Think Lot and Abimelech.)

- Jacob gets his wages from Laban to stay and becomes exceedingly wealthy by breeding his flock with the stronger females and the weaker females offspring went to Laban.

Genesis 31

Laban's sons become jealous of Jacob because his wealth was waxing and theirs was waning. Laban's attitude changed as well towards Jacob. The Lord instructed Jacob to return to the promised land and Jacob gathered his wives, children and household to flee without telling Laban. But, Rachel stole her father's household gods.

Laban pursued Jacob and when he was about to catch up the Lord appeared to Laban and warned him not to say anything good or bad to him. Laban finally says to him "Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?" (Genesis 31:30).

Jacob makes a pretty rash response about the stolen gods. He says that if anyone has the gods of Laban they shall not live. He didn't know Rachel had stolen the gods. Rachel sat on them and lied saying that she couldn't stand because she was on her period.

Jacob and Laban made a covenant not to harm one another by crossing the spot where they piled rocks to fight. Laban then kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them before returning home.

Genesis 32

Jacob sent men out to meet Esau, and when they returned they informed him Esau was coming with 400 men to meet him. Jacob panicked and split his group into two so that if Esau attacked one group, the other could escape. In fear Jacob prayed to God.

32:10-11 "I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children". This is a stark contrast to how Jacob spoke in chapter 31. In chapter 31 he is righteously indignant with Laban, lambasting him for the way he treated him, talking about his toil and his hard work. Now, when he talks to God, he is humble and admits that all his gains are because of the Lord's blessing, in spite of his unworthiness. It's an interesting contrast.

Jacob sends out a big gift of goats, sheep, camels, cows and donkeys to Esau ahead of him in the hopes of pacifying Esau.

Jacob then has an encounter with God where he wrestles him. Jacob won't let go until the man blessed him. The man (God) changed Jacob's name to Israel because Jacob had struggled with God and with men and overcame it.

Genesis 33

Jacob meets Esau and expecting the worse he bows down, but Esau embraces him.

Genesis 34

Dinah, Jacob's daughter by Leah was violated by Shechem, the son of the local ruler, Hamor. Hamor came to Jacob and his sons to ask for Dinah to be married to Shechem. They lied and said they would agree if all the men were circumcised. After the men of the city were circumcised Simeon and Levi (the brothers of Dinah) killed all the men of the city while they were still in pain and looted the city, carrying off the livestock, women and children of the city. Jacob rebuked his sons, but they asked 'should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?'

Genesis 35

Jacob was told by God to go to Bethel. Jacob told his house to get rid of their foreign gods, which he buried and went to Bethel, safely because God had filled all the people with terror of them.

Jacob was visited by God at Bethel and renewed his covenant. Jacob built an altar to God there and renamed the place Bethel (it was called Luz).

Rachel then died in childbirth, giving birth to Benjamin (the twelfth of Jacob's sons).

Reuben then slept with Jacob's concubine Bilhah.

They met with Isaac and Isaac died at 180 years old. Jacob and Esau buried him.

Genesis 36

Esau had three wives, two Canaanites and the daughter of Ishmael. His descendants became the Edomites and the rulers of Edom.

365 Day Bible Catch Up (Abraham)

So it's February 11 and I'm already vastly behind. So I'm going to catch up (at least through all of January). But, instead of reading piecemeal from four books like the plan has me doing, I'm going to go through a book at a time.

Genesis 13 - Abraham & Lot separate.

- Lot chooses what looks good and goes and lives among the cities of the plain, near Sodom. But, "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord" (13:13).
- God tells Abram that all the land he sees will be the property of 'you and your offspring forever'.
- Abram pitches his tent near Mamre at Hebron and builds an altar

Genesis 14 - Abraham rescues Lot from captivity

- Abram is called "Abram the Hebrew". This is the first mention of Hebrew in the Old Testament
- Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Jerusalem) was a priest of God Most High. He blessed Abram and the God Most High. Abram gave a tenth of everything to Melchizedek. Who is Melchizedek?
- Abram refused the goods of the king of Sodom so that the king could not claim to have made Abram rich.

Genesis 15 - God makes a covenant with Abraham

- the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision claiming to be Abram's shield and very great reward. Incredibly, Abram seems upset and able to talk to the vision about being childless. The Lord however promised that he would indeed have a son and his offspring would be more numerous than the stars. "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (15:6).
- God then put Abram in a deep sleep and made a covenant with him and told him that his offspring would be enslaved for four hundred years, but would come out of slavery to the land God promised him with 'great possessions'. Why would they be enslaved for 400 years? So that the sin of the Amorites could reach full measure because it hadn't yet. What was the sin of the Amorites?

Genesis 16 - Hagar & Abram

- Sarai, the wife of Abram gives him her servant, Hagar to start a family that way, which seems odd, but was probably culturally acceptable at the time. But, when Hagar was pregnant she began to despise Sarai. Sarai became jealous and angry with Abram and mistreated Hagar with Abram's blessing (or at least indifference).
-Hagar ran away but the angel of the Lord told Hagar to go back to Sarai but promised that Hagar's descendants would be too numerous to count. The angel said to name the son Ishmael, but he would be a wild donkey of a man and be hostile towards basically everyone.
- Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born

Genesis 17 - The covenant of circumcision

- The Lord appeared to Abram at 99 and said to him 'walk before me and be blameless'. He instructed Abram that he was now to be called Abraham and to have everyone of his household and his descendants to be circumcised as it will be the sign of the covenant between Abraham and God.
-Incredibly, like when Abraham received the vision, he talked with God frankly, asking how he would have a son at 100 through his 90 year old wife. He asks God to make the covenant through Ishmael.
-God blesses Ishmael but claims that the covenant will run through his son through Sarah, who they will call Isaac.
-Everyone in Abraham's household, slaves and all, were circumcised.

Genesis 18 - Judging Sodom

- God appeared to Abraham again and they sat down for dinner. (How amazing would that be?) The Lord said he would return in a year and by then they would have a son, Isaac. Sarah laughed at this, but when God called her on it, "Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, 'I did not laugh'. But he said, "Yes, you did laugh" (18:15). I don't blame her, I would have been afraid too.
- The Lord revealed then that he was going down to Sodom to see if the reports of the city's sins were as bad as they seemed. Abraham bargains with the Lord and asks him if he will destroy the righteous with the wicked if 50 good men are found in the city. The Lord says he will spare it for 50, for 45, for 40, for 30, for 20 and even for 10.

Genesis 19 - The destruction of Sodom and Gommorah

- The two angels arrived at Sodom and were invited by Lot to spend the night with him in his house. When they were in the house the men of the city lined up and called out to Lot for him to produce the two men that were staying with him so they could have sex with them. Lot pleaded for them to not do these things and to take his virgin daughters instead. When the people threatened Lot the angels saved him and told them to flee and dragged Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the city and destroyed the cities. What had Lot done to deserve this mercy? Other than providing hospitality for the angels, I don't see much. But,  it seems Lot's connection to Abraham is what saved him. "So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived" (Genesis 19:29)
- After the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah things get a bit strange. I'm classifying this as a difficult verses passage so I can study it further. I can't tell if what Lot's daughters did was wicked or not. Of course it's strange and pretty gross, but their reasoning doesn't seem as perverted as the act. They both slept with Lot (after getting him drunk) "Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father" (Genesis 19:33).
- Both daughters had sons who would become the fathers of the Moabites and the Ammonites.

Genesis 20 - Sister Wife thing again

- Abraham moved into another region of Canaan under the control of King Abimelech. Abimelech took Sarah as they had claimed to be brother and sister. The Lord came to Abimelech and threatened to kill him on account of Sarah, but Abimelech protested his innocence. The Lord agreed and told Abimelech to have Abraham pray for him and not to touch Sarah. Abimelech did this, gave gifts to Abraham and Sarah and Abraham prayed for Abimelech which healed him and his household.
- I always find this and the Egypt story confusing. Abraham kind of gets off on a technicality. "Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife" (Genesis 20:13).

Genesis 21

- Isaac is born and circumcised.
- Sarah becomes jealous of Hagar and Ishmael and tells Abraham to send them away. This distresses Abraham because Ishmael was his son as well, but the Lord tells him to send them away but promises to make Ishmael into a nation as well.
- After the provisions run out, Hagar leaves Ishmael in the bushes because she cannot bear to watch him die. But, the angel of the Lord comes to Hagar and provided for them. "God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt" (Genesis 20:20-21). Even though Ishmael didn't get the same blessing as Isaac, God provided for him.
- Abraham and Abimelech made a treaty not to harm one another. Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time and called upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 22 - The near sacrifice of Isaac

- God calls on Abraham to take Isaac (your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love) as an offering and burn him on a mountain in Moriah. Isaac asks Abraham on the journey, 'I see the wood, the fire and the knife, but uh... where is the sacrifice?' Abraham replies that God himself will provide the lamb. Abraham builds the altar and binds Isaac and is about to sacrifice his son when the angel of the Lord stops him and provides a ram. The Lord then swears on his own self that because Abraham was obedient that He will surely bless Abraham and his descendants. What's interesting here to me is verse 18. "And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me".
- Up until this point, God has been promising Abraham that he will be the father of countless children, a great nation and that even through Ishmael a nation will be born, "He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation" (17:20)
- We are also introduced to Rebekah (the future wife of Isaac) as the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother

Genesis 23 - The death of Sarah

- Sarah dies and Abraham purchases land from Ephron the Hittite to bury Sarah in the cave of Machpelah.

Genesis 24 - Isaac marries Rebekah

- Abraham makes one of his servants promise to go get a wife for Isaac from his own clan, and not to let Isaac marry one of the Canaanites he was living amongst or to let Isaac leave the land promised to him by God. The servant does this by praying to God and finds Rebekah, Abraham's great-niece by his brother Nahor. Isaac and Rebekah are married in the tent of his mother Sarah. Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother's death.

Genesis 25 - The death of Abraham

- Abraham took another wife who bore him six sons. As Abraham was dying he left everything to Isaac, but gave gifts to all of his other sons and sent them to live in the east. Ishmael and Isaac buried Abrham in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre with Sarah. After the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac.
- Ishmael had twelve sons (the twelve rulers) and died at an old age.

365 Day Bible 5

365 Day Bible Day 5 (25 days late, need to speed up)

Genesis 11 - 13:4

The Tower of Babel has always fascinated me. I wondered why God was so concerned with man making a great tower or city. I guess in reading it it's the men's intentions and purposes for building it - to make a name for themselves that is the great sin. But, God confused their speech and the people spread out.

Again we have a genealogy of people living huge amounts of time. Shem, 500 years; Arphaxad, 403 years; Shelah, 403 years; Eber, 430 years; Peleg, 209 years; Reu, 207 years; Serug, 200 years; Nahor, 119 years. I know that whether or not these are actual dates are of no real consequence to the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ via Abraham, but it baffles me nonetheless. Nahor then was the father of Terah and Terah the father of Abraham.

Abraham (and his nephew Lot) were from Ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham (named Abram at the moment) married Sarai, a barren woman. Terah (who lived to 205 years old) took his sons, including Abram and his nephew Lot on a journey to Canaan, but stopped in Haran. Why?

God then speaks to Abram in chapter 12 and promises him a blessing. Abram heeds the call and took along Lot to go to Canaan when he was 75 years old. Abram kept moving, kept hearing from God and kept listening, building altars to the Lord along the way.

Abram went down to Egypt during a time of famine and had Sarai lie to everyone and say that she was his sister. Through this lie Abram wasn't killed and acquired wealth. But when the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram was told to get up and leave. Abram traveled some more and settled in between Bethel and Ai and called on the name of the Lord.

Matthew 5:1-26 (The Beatitudes)

The first 12 verses read like a list I need to pray daily. Teach me to be poor in spirit, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be a peacemaker.

5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled". How cool is that? If you take the time to aim yourself towards righteousness God will make sure that you get there.

5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Lord, I need purification in my heart because I don't always see you.

The salt part suddenly scares me. If salt loses its saltiness though it's of no use. It can only be thrown out and trampled by men. That's again seeing Jesus in not a whimsy-flimsy sort of light that often he gets portrayed as.

5:20 "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven". Again, Jesus is preaching about righteousness. What is this righteousness he is preaching?

What are we to make of Jesus' thoughts on the Law? Nothing will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Does the resurrection accomplish everything?

5:21-26 bears out what Christ says about the blessed. Blessed are the meek, the merciful and the peacemakers. Those who aren't meek, merciful or a peacemaker will suffer the judgment he talks about in these verses.

Psalm 5

Some of Psalm 5 has those difficult verses with David calling for men to be called guilty by God and for them to have a downfall and be banished from God. But as always this is tempered with a call for God to protect those who take refuge in Him.

Verse 3 stands out to me. "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation". This is my prayer Lord, that I learn to pray like this. Teach me to have faith enough to lay my requests at your feet and wait in expectation.

Proverbs 1:24-28

Wow, here again we have a difficult verse. Lord, teach me not to reject your calls, your discipline so that I am not so far gone that you will not answer when I do call.

Voltaire - Abbé & Abraham

I love Voltaire's sarcasm and wit. This is the first of many entries on Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary, translated by Peter Gay. Just a sample of his sarcasm comes in his Preface to the Seventh Edition: "This book will be read by enlightened persons alone, the common herd are not made for such knowledge, philosophy will never be their portion. Those who say there are truths that should be hidden from the people need not feel any alarm; the common people do not read; they work six days a week and go to the tavern on the seventh" (Voltaire, 56). I have read this volume before, though I don't know how fully so there may be some posts in other journals that will be added here duplicating these. But, that is ok for me - sorry, if it bores the readers, of which I am sure there are only a few enlightened ones.

Abbé

Voltaire notes the distinction between a father (Abbé means father) and a Father of some group of monks. A father does a work for the state; he does the best thing a man can do - causing the birth of a human being. But a Father of some Abby has become a perverse office. In the beginning they were poor men leading other poor men. Now they are corrupt and rich. Sarcastically, he encourages them to enrich themselves to the fullest at the downfall of the common man. But, he warns them to tremble, "lest the day of reason arrive" (Voltaire, 58).

Abraham

The post on Abraham is a scathing, anti-Semitic rant. But in some of the shrillness of the article he poses some difficulties for Christians to tend with. First, he brings up the age question of Abraham. The ages of the Old Testament patriarchs are definitely difficult to deal with for the believer. The second point of difficulty he brings up is the fact that Abraham passed his wife off as his sister to the king of Egypt and the king in the desert. While Voltaire attacks this from numerous angles, the angle I'm most concerned with is the moral aspect. If Abraham is the father of the Jews and through spiritual descent the father of Christians everywhere are we to absolve Abraham of this lie? What are we to do with it? I haven't answers at the moment, but it is a question to be asked.

Now his attack on why we give credit to the Jews rather than the more ancient established cultures like that of Assyria, Babylon, Egypt and Phoenicia is much easier for me to understand. He claims that "The Jews, then, treat their history and ancient fables as their peddlers treat their old clothes: they turn them and sell them for new as dearly as possible" (Voltaire, 61). Firstly, that shows some of Voltaire's racist tendencies towards the Jews, earlier he speaks of the Jews as "our masters and our enemies, whom we believe in and detest" (Voltaire, 58). But, the sum of his argument is that the Israelites were relative newcomers on the scene in the Ancient Near East, surrounded by powerful and more ancient civilizations like the aforementioned societies. Why then do we give credit to the Jews and not these others? He claims that the name Abraham or Ibrahim, comes from Babylonians and that the Jews gave names to God such as Eloi, Eloa, Adonai, and Jehovah after the Phoenician usage. I'll disregard his skepticism about the historicity of Abraham at this point. Just because the journey of Abraham seems to difficult to have been done is not a valid argument for it not having been undertaken. (The age question still persists though). But, as for language it is only natural that languages adopt from their neighbors. Also, on a more fundamental level the commonality of language and religion throughout the region (and really throughout the world) often leads those skeptical of the existence of God, or of organized religion to point out that the similarities between the religions automatically show that religion is man-made, hence the similarities. But, a counter point to this is that the similarities of religious sentiment could also point to the fact that there is a truth behind all of these religions and some of the closeness of religion throughout the world is actually a testament to the existence of God, or the event of the flood, or other shared "fables" across world religions. He ends this article with an elevation of the Greeks above the Jews. "A man must be either a great ignoramus or a great rascal to say that the Jews taught the Greeks" (Voltaire, 62). Even in the Greek philosophy, which is highly sophisticated we can weave it in to this commonality theory. Not, so much a commonality theory as a divine plan theory. To some God gave a similar vein of religion to pave the way for the human understanding and eventual acceptance of Him. To some he gave Philosophy to pave the path for understanding Him. To others he gave some ineffable, mystical experience. To all he gave a general revelation. To the Jews he gave the Chosen revelation. And through the Jews he gave Christ and at that moment all the other paths were the framework for which Christ could be understood culturally. The other paths were not paths to salvation, but paths to the one way to salvation.

A Bitter Prayer

(Originally Written June 10, 2008 in the Journal)

Lord, you are Holy and Grand. All things are yours for you have created all. Your works are known in every heart though they are only acknowledged as your works by few. Yet you extend your love to all. How merciful is the Lord of lords, the true and only God?

Lord you know my heart and mind. It is plain to you that I suffer and am in agony. There is no secret between us. How could I hide anything from you? The sins and temptations of the flesh are numerous in me. Though I am forgiven, I am still culpable. Lord forgive me of these sins and remove this self-destructive desire from my heart. I want to seek you fully.

Lord I do not know what you want me to do. I have a wife who no longer wants to be my wife. She has mistreated me and abused me. Lord, I do not wish vengeance or retribution. What I wish is for a reuniting that is pleasing to you and a love that is a witness to the glory of the Lord.

Heavenly Father I made a vow to love and cherish this woman for all of my days. I did not seek to break that vow. It is in your power to soften her heart to me. It would be an easy thing for you. Only the soft whisper of your voice would change it all. I ask with all of my heart and soul that you would have mercy on us and reignite this union. Grant us a happy, fulfilling marriage that is glorifying to you.

Lord I also ask you make it clear to me your desires for this summer. If New Horizons is where you want me open that door. I will follow you where you lead me. Please open my eyes and ears so I can follow you. I love you Lord. Instruct me in truth and wisdom so I may be upright and blameless in your sight.

The Lord came to me and said, give me your heart. I told Him it was His and I gave it freely - though occasionally it strays, it always returns to Him.

The Lord came to me and said, give me your mind. I told Him it was His and I gave it with no complaint. Though it occasionally wanders, it always returns to pondering the mysteries of the Lord.

The Lord came to me and said, give me your soul. I told Him it was His and I humbled my pride and released it to Him. Though occasionally it serves its own will, it always returns and submits to the will of its true mater, who is the Lord.

The Lord came to me and said give me your body. I told Him it was His and though I paused at the request I gave it. Occasionally my body falls to the temptations of the flesh, but His mercy forgives me of my sins and my body returns to God, to be His temple.

The Lord came to me and said, give me your hopes, dreams and ambitions. I choked on this request. My foolish pride swelled up and rebelled. I went on my own and I failed, again and again. I called out to the Lord and begged for mercy. He spoke to me in His calm, quiet way. He said, give me your hopes, dreams and ambitions and I will give you dreams you cannot even fathom. I will give you endless hope and my ambitions will replace yours. Still this was a hard and bitter pill for me to swallow. But I relented. I gave God my hopes, my dreams and my ambitions. Though I knew I would feel empty without these, the Lord has filled me to the brim. Yes, I admit my sin. That pride I swallowed tends to be regurgitated and the old fights within the glorious new and I falter. But, the new is stronger because it is Christ and I humble myself before the Lord.

The Lord then came to me and said you have given me your heart, your mind, your soul and your body. You have forsaken yourself, the one defiled by sin and death for the gift of everlasting life I have given you. You have bowed to my will. This is good. I am the sovereign Lord and for you to be justified in faith I need your all. Fear seized my body. What more do I have to give?

The Lord said to me, give me your wife, the one you love. Tears streamed from my eyes as if a river had burst a dam. My heart split in two and I fell to the floor in a heap. I prayed to God in fear and a lack of understanding. It was my very God who had joined us, who had fostered this love and now He demanded a sacrifice of it. I offered all else in futility. Still the Lord spoke, give me your wife.

Bitterly and with hesitation I am granting his request. I feel like Abraham must have when the Lord told him to sacrifice Isaac. I do not know if there will be any rams for a substitution for me. But in faith, I trust the lord my God. Trouble has been sitting in wait, pursuing every footstep of mine since I was young. When I stray to the left disaster comes. When I stray to the right calamity comes. When I step back I stumble into strife. When I hesitate and pause I am overtaken by my pursuers. Therefore, I will step forward.

My courage fails me. I am paralyzed in fear. But an inner peace, a peace that passeth all understanding stirs hope in the very depths of my soul. I pray that I do not choke it out with the concerns of my daily life and that I can keep my eyes fixed on that which is eternal. The Lord has a plan for me, though I do not know what it is. May I store up my treasures in heaven, so that I do not fall into sin by loving what I have here to the detriment of my love of God.

Lord look upon me with grace. Though you alone are worthy of my praise and adoration, what you ask of me is great and difficult. I can forsake wealth and honor, these are of no consequence to me. Though I struggle with the sins of the flesh, this is of no real importance. Knowledge I hold in high esteem, but would willingly be considered a fool for you. But to sacrifice this marriage at your feet is a bitter pill to swallow. Her love and acceptance of me was something that I had never known before. Her care for me, even as sparse as it has been recently brought me to new heights. I can endure years of torture and pain, hunger and humiliation just to hear a single kind word from her. Lord what you ask for is great indeed. But if this is what you require of me I give it. Comfort me in your Word. Instruct me in Truth so that I may better serve you.

Notes on Genesis 27-28

(Originally written May 1, 2007 in Book 16)

Notes on Genesis

27:18 Jacob went to and called to his father. Isaac asked who he was.
27:19 Jacob said he was Esau and told him to eat and bless him.
27:20 Isaac asked how he had got the game so quickly and Jacob said that he had been blessed by the Lord
27:21 Isaac told him to came close so he could touch him so he could know if it was Esau or not
27:22 Isaac felt him and said it is the voice of Jacob, but the feel of Esau
27:23 He did not recognize that it was Jacob so he blessed him
27:24 He asked Jacob if he was really Esau and Jacob replied he was
27:25 So Isaac told him to bring him the food and he ate and drank
27:26 Isaac told him to come close and kiss him
27:27 Isaac smelled his garments and blessed him. He said the small of my son is the smell of a field the Lord had blessed.
27:28 He said may God give you the dew of heaven, the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine
27:29 He said let the peoples serve you and stations bow down to you. He said cursed be whoever curses you and blessed be all that bless you
27:30 As soon as Isaac was done Jacob left and Esau came in from hunting
27:31 Esau prepared the food and took it to Isaac to get the blessing
27:32 Isaac asked him who he was and he answered, I am Esau
27:33 Isaac trembled violently and asked who came before him because he had blessed him.
27:34 Esau cried out and begged for a blessing also
27:35 Isaac said that Jacob had stolen his blessing
27:36 Esau exclaimed that Jacob had stolen his birthright and his blessing. He asked if Isaac had some blessing for him
27:37 Isaac said I have made him your lord and blessed him with wine and grain and servants. He asked what can he give him
27:38 Esau wept and pleaded for some blessing
27:39 Isaac gave a little blessing saying away from the fatness of the earth and from the dew of heaven will you dwell
27:40 By the sword shall you live and shall serve your brother, but when you break loose you will break Jacob's yoke from your neck
27:41 Esau hated Jacob for this and planned to kill him after mourning Isaac
27:42 Rebekah learned of Esau's plans and told Jacob
27:43 She told Jacob to go and hide with her brother Laban in Haran.
27:44 She said to stay there until Esau's anger fades
27:45 She told him that she would send for him when Esau's fury had passed
27:46 Rebekah said to Isaac that she was tired of the Hittite women and did not want Jacob to marry one
- There is so much deceit in Abraham - Isaac - Jacob/Esau. Abraham lied about his wife. Isaac lied about his wife. Jacob lied about who he was. Could the punishment be a continuance of lies?

28:1 Isaac told Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman.
28:2 He told him to go to Laban's house and find a daughter of his to marry
28:3 He blessed him and told him to multiply
28:4 He said may God give you the blessing of Abraham and fulfill his promise to Abraham through your descendants
28:5 So Jacob went to Laban's house
28:6 Esau saw that his father had done this
28:7 He saw that Jacob had left for Laban's house
28:8 Esau saw that Canaanite women did not please his father
28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and took his daughter Ma'haloth
28:10 Jacob left Beer-Sheba and headed for Heron
28:11 He camped out in a certain place for the night
28:12 He dreamed that there was a ladder from earth to heaven and the angels of the Lord were ascending and descending
28:13 The Lord spoke saying, I am the Lord, God of Abraham, God of Isaac
28:14 He said your descendants will be like the dust of the earth
28:15 He said he will not leave Jacob until he had fulfilled his promise
28:16 Jacob woke and exclaimed that the Lord is surely in this place
28:17 He said this place is the house of God and the gate of Heaven
28:18 Jacob took the stone he used as a pillow and poured oil on it
28:19 He called the place Bethel (the house of God). The city was called Luz at first.
28:20 Jacob said if God is with me and will keep me...
28:21 then the Lord will be my God
28:22 He exclaimed that he will give one tenth of all the Lord gave him to God.

Notes on Genesis 24-25

(Originally written April 28, 2007 in Book 16)

Notes on Genesis

24:1 Abraham was old and the Lord had blessed him in all things
24:2 Abraham had his servant place his hand on his inner thigh
24:3 He made him swear that he would not take a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites
24:4 He made him swear to go to his father's land and find a wife for Isaac
24:5 The servant asked what if the woman won't follow him back to this country
24:6 Abraham commanded that the servant not take Isaac back to Ur
24:7 Abraham assured him that all will go well because the Lord told him it would
24:8 He said if the woman is unwilling then you are free of this oath, but do not take Isaac back there
24:9 The servant swore the oath under Abraham's thigh
24:10 The servant left and took all sorts of gifts and went to Nahor in Mesopotamia
24:11 He waited by a well
24:12 He cried out to God to grant him success
24:13 He said to God that he is waiting by a well where the daughters of the men at the city are coming to
24:14 He asked for sign that the woman who offers him water be the wife of Isaac
24:15 Before he was even done speaking Rebekah, granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor come out
24:16 Rebekah was good looking and a virgin. She drew water from the well
24:17 The servant asked for a drink
24:18 Rebekah gave him a drink
24:19 She drew water for the servant's camels
24:20 She emptied her jar and drew water again
24:21 The servant looked at her to learn whether or not the Lord had provided
24:22 The servant produced a gold ring and two gold bracelets for Rebekah
24:23 He asked her if their was room for him and her parent's house to stay
24:24 She said I am the son o Bethu'el, son of Nahor
24:25 She told them there was room for them and their animals at her father's house
24:26 The servant bowed and worshipped the Lord
24:27 He thanked the Lord for blessing Abraham and for leading him to his master's relatives
24:28 Rebekah saw and told her mother about the guests
24:29 Rebekah's brother Laban ran out to meet the servant of Abraham
24:30 He had seen the jewelry on Rebekah and ran out to meet the man that give it to her
24:31 Laban told them to come inside
24:32 Laban took care of the camels and gave water to the man to wash his feet
24:33 He gave food to the man
24:34 He told Laban that he was Abraham's servant
24:35 He told how the Lord had blessed Abraham
24:36 He told them how Sarah had bore a son to Abraham in old age
24:37 He told them about the oath he swore to Abraham
24:38 He told him that he swore to get a wife for Isaac from Abraham's kinsmen.
24:39 He told him how he was scared that the woman would not follow him
24:40 He told him that an angel would prepare the way
24:41 Then he told them that he would be free of the oath
24:42 He told him how he prayed to God at the well
24:43 He told Laban what he prayed
24:44 He told him that the wife of Isaac would give water to him an his camels
24:45 He told him that Rebekah had appeared before he was even done praying
24:46 He told him how Rebekah gave him a drink
24:47 He told him that he asked who was Rebekah's father and she replied Bethel, son of Nahor.
24:48 He told him that he bowed and worshipped the Lord
24:49 He asked them to deal loyally and true with him and Abraham
24:50 Laban and Bethel answered that his comes from the Lrod and they cannot speak bad or good.
24:51 Bethel told him to take Rebekah as Isaac's wife as the Lord had spoken.
24:52 Abraham's servant bowed before the Lord.
24:53 Abraham's servant gave jewelry to Rebekah, her brother and her mother.
24:54 He ate and spent the night there and asked to be sent back to Abraham
24:55 Rebekah's brother and mother asked for the girl to be left with them for 10 days
24:56 Abraham's servant said not to delay him because the Lord had prospered him
24:57-58 They called for Rebekah and asked if she would go with Abraham's servant and she said yes
24:59-60 They blessed Rebekah and sent her with Abraham's servant
24:61 The servant took Rebekah and went away
24:62 Isaac was dwelling in Negev
24:63 Isaac went out to meditate in the field and saw camels coming
24:64-65 Rebekah saw Isaac coming and covered herself
24:66 The servant told Isaac all that had happened
24:67 Isaac took Rebekah into his tent and she became his wife. He loved her and was comforted after his mother's death.

25:1 Abraham took another wife, Ketu'rah
25:2 Ketu'rah bore Abraham Zimron, Jokshawn, Medan, Ishbak and Shuah
25:3 Joskahn was the father of Sheba and Dedan. The song of Dedan were Asstiu'rim, Letu'shim, and Le-umimim
25:4 The sons of Mid'ian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abi'da, and Elda'ah
25:5 Abraham gave all he had to Isaac
25:6 He gave gifts to his sons by his concubines and sent them eastward away from Isaac
25:7 Abraham lived 175 years
25:8 Abraham died
25:9 Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelath
25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased. He was buried with Sarah
25:11 After the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac and he dwelled in Beer-La'Hai-roi
25:12 These are the descendants of Ishmael
25:13 Neba'ioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam
25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa
25:15 Hadid, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Ked'emah
25:16 These are the twelve princes according to their tribes
25:17 Ishmael lived 137 years
25:18 They dwelt from Havilah to Shur and conquered the people there
25:19 These are the sons of Isaac
25:20 Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah
25:21 Isaac prayed to the Lord because she was barren and Rebekah conceived
25:22 The children struggled inside her an she prayed to God
25:23 The Lord said two nations are in your womb and these two nations will struggle against one another. The elder will serve the younger
25:24 When she delivered she had twins
25:25 The first to come was very hairy, Esau
25:26 Jacob came next holding the heel of Esau. Isaac was 60 years old
25:27 Esau grew up a hunter and Jacob grew up quiet
25:28 Isaac loved Esau, Rebekah loved Jacob
25:29 Jacob was once boiling soup and Esau came in an said he was starving
25:30 Esau said let me eat some of that
25:31 Jacob said sell me your birthright
25:32 Esau said I am about to die, what do I need my birthright for
25:33 Jacob had Esau share to him
25:34 Jacob gave Esau bread and soup. Esau despised his birthright.

Notes on Genesis 11-23

(Originally written April 27, 2007 in Book 16)

11:1 The whole earth had one language and few words
11:2 Men migrated east and settled in the land of Shinar
11:3 They made bricks and mortar
11:4 They built a city with a tower that's top reached the Heavens to make a name for themselves and so they would not be scattered across the whole earth
11:5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower
11:6 The Lord said that this is the beginning of what man will do and nothing that they propose will be impossible for them
11:7 The Lord decided to confuse their language
11:8 The Lord scattered the men all over the world and they left their city
11:9 Its name is Ba'bel because the Lord confused their language
11:10 These are the descendants of Shem
11:11 Shem lived 502 years after the flood
-7,669 years from Adam to the death of Shem
11:12 Arpach'shad, son of Shem begat Shelah at 35 years old
11:13 Arpach'shad lived 403 years after the birth of Shelah
11:14 Shelah had Eber when he was 30 years old
11:15 Shelah lived 403 years after the birth of Eber
11:16 When Eber was 34 he had Peleg
11:17 Eber lived 430 years after the birth of Peleg
11:18 Peleg had Re'u when he was 30 years old
11:19 Peleg lived 209 years after the birth of Re'u
11:20 Re'u was 32 years old when he had Serug
11:21 Re'u lived 207 years after the birth of Serug
11:22 Serug was 30 years when he had Nahor
11:23 Serug lived for 200 years after the birth of Nahor
11:24 Nahor was 29 when he had Terah
11:25 Nahor lived 119 years after the birth of Terah
11:26 Terah was 70 years old when he had Abram, Nahor and Haran
11:27 These are the descendants of Terah: Jerah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Karan was the father of Lot.
11:28 Haran died before Jerah in Ur of the Chaldeans.
11:29 Abram and Nahor took wives. Abram's wife was Sarai, Nahor's wife was Milcah
11:30 Sarai was barren and had no child
11:31 Terah took Abram (his son), Lot (his grandson) and Sara (his daughter-in-law) from Ur to go to Canaan. But they settled in Haran.
11:32 Terah lived for 205 years and died in Haran

Abraham

12:1 The Lord told Abram to leave his country and his father's house and go to the land that He will show him
12:2 The Lord said He will make a great nation of Abram and make him a blessing
12:3 He promised to bless those who bless him and curse those who cursed him and told him that "by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves"
-1st Messianic Prophecy
12:4 Abram left as the Lord told him to. Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran
12:5 They took all their possessions and left Haran for Canaan
12:6 Abram passed through Canaan to Shechem
12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and promised this land to Abram's descendants. Abram built an altar to the Lord
12:8 Abram left to the mountain east of Dothal and pitched his tent there. He built an altar to the Lord and called upon his name.
12:9 Abram journeyed on going toward Negev
12:10 There was a famine so Abram went down to Egypt
12:11 When he went to Egypt he told Sarai that she was a beautiful to behold
12:12 He said they will kill me if they know you are my wife
12:13 He said say you are my sister so my life can be spared on your account
12:14 When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw Sarai was very beautiful
12:15 The princes of Pharaoh saw her and praised her to the Pharaoh
12:16 The Pharaoh death well with Abram for Sarai's sake
12:17 The LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai.
12:18 Pharaoh called Abram to him and asked what have you done to me
12:19 He asked why he told him that Sarai was his sister so he took her for his wife
12:20 Pharaoh sent Abram on his way with all his possessions and those he had got in Egypt

13:1 Abram and his family left Egypt and went to Negev
13:2 Abram was now very rich in cattle, silver and gold
13:3 Abram returned to the place he had pitched a tent near Bethel
13:4 Abram called upon the Lord
13:5 Lot also had flocks and herds and tents
13:6 The land could not support both Lot and Abram
13:7 There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot
13:8 Abram said to Lot, let there be no strife between us
13:9 He said take the left on the right, I will take the opposite
13:10 Lot saw that the Jordan Valley was good
13:11 Lot chose the Jordan Valley and journeyed east: Lot and Abram separated.
13:12 Abram lived among the cities of the valley and moved his tents near Sodom
13:13 The men of Sodom were great sinners against the Lord
13:14 The Lord spoke to Abram: Look at the place you are at, northward, southward, eastward and westward
13:15 All the land you see I will give to your descendants
13:16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth
13:17 Walk the breadth of the land and I will give it to you
13:18 Abram moved his tent and dwelt at Hebron and built on altar to the Lord

14:1 Am'raphal, king of Shiner, Ar'iah, king of Ella'sar, Chhod-or-lao'mer, king of Elam and Tidal, king of Goi'im
14:2 These kings made war with Bara, king of Sodom and Birsha, king of Gomorra, Shinah, king of Admah, Sheme'ber, king of Zeboi'im and the king of Bela
14:3 These kings joined forces in the valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea)
14:4 They rebelled against Chadorlaomer after serving him 12 years
14:5 Chedorlaomer subdued Reph'aim in Ash'teroth Kaprna'im, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emimin Sha'veh-Kiriatha'im
14:6 and the Hornets in Mount Se'ir
14:7 Ched-or-lao'mer turned back to Enmish'pat (Kadesh) and subdued the Amal'ekites and the Amorites of Haz'azon-ta'man
14:8 Then the kings of Sodom and Gommorah, Admah, Zeboi'im and Bela jointed the battle in the Valley of Siddim
14:9 They fought the kings of Elam, Goi'im, Shiner and Ella'sar
14:10 The Valley of Siddim was full of bitamar pits. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and some men fell into these pits
14:11 The enemy took al of the goods and provinces of Sodom and Gomorrah and left.
14:12 They also took Lot and his goods
14:13 One who escaped fled and told Abram the Hebrew, and Marvethe Amorite, Eschol and Aner (allies of Abram)
14:14 Abram led 318 trained men after them as far as Dan
14:15 He divided his forces at night and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus
14:16 He brought back all of the goods and Lot with his goods, and the women and the people
14:17 After returning from defeating Ched-or-lao'men and his allies the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram at the vally of Shaveh
14:18 Melchizedek, king of Salem brought bread and wine. Melchizedek was the pries of God Most High
14:19 Melchizedek blessed Abram
14:20 Melchizedek blessed God Most High. Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe
- This is the God of original monotheism, which is identical to YHWH
14:21 The king of Sodom told Abram to keep the goods, but give him the people
14:22 Abram said he swore to the LORD God Most High
-This verifies 14:20a
14:23 Abram swore he would not take anything that was the king of Sodom because the king of Sodom could claim he made Abram rich
14:24 He said let Aner, Eschol and Mamre take their share

15:1 The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision
15:2 Abram asked what the Lord will give him because was still childless
15:3 He moaned that a slave born in his house would be his heir
15:4 The Lord promised that Abram's son, not the slave would be his heir
15:5 God promised that Abram's descendants will be as numerous as the stars.
15:6 Abram believed the Lord and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness
15:7 The Lord said I am the Lord who brought you from Ur to give their land to you
15:8 Abram asked how he would know that he possessed it
15:9 The Lord said bring me a heifer, a she-goat and a ram three years old, a turtledove and a young pigeon.
15:10 Abram brought them, cut them in two and laid each half over the other, but did not cut the birds
15:11 Abram drove the birds of prey a way from the dead animals
15:12 Abram fell asleep into a deep sleep and great darkness fell on him
15:13 The Lord spoke to Abram and told him that his descendants will be wanderers and slaves in a foreign land for 400 years
15:14 The Lord said he will bring judgment on the enlsavers and his descendants will leave very rich
15:15 He told him that Abram would die of old age in peace
15:16 He said that his descendants will come back here in the 4th generation because the sins of the Amorites are still incomplete
15:17 A smoking fire pot and torch passed by
15:18 The Lord made a covenant with Abram and gave Abram's descendants the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates river
15:19 He gave the land of the Ken'ites, the Ken'izzarites, the Kad'monites, the Hittites, the Per'izites, the Reph'aim
15:20 and the land of the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Gir'gashites and the Jeb'usites

16:1 Sarai had not bore Abram any children. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar.
16:2 Sarai gave Abram Hagar so that she could have children through her
16:3 Sarai gave Hagar to Abram as a wife
16:4 Hagar conceived and Sarai looked at Hagar with contempt
16:5 Sarai became angry with Abram
16:6 Sarai treated Hagar harshly and Hagar fled from Sarai
16:7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar by a spring near Shur
16:8 The angel of the Lord asked Hagar where she was going
16:9 The angel of the Lord bid Hagar to return to Sarai
16:10 The angel of the Lord said to Hagar that the Lord will multiply her descendants
16:11 The child of Hagar was to be named Ishmael because the Lord had seen Hagar's affliction
16:12 Ishmael will be a wild man against all men
16:13 Hagar spoke to the angel and wailed, "Have I seen God and remained alive?"
16:14 The well was called Beer-la'hai-roi (the well of the one who sees and lives)
16:15 Hagar bore Abram a son and they named him Ishmael
16:16 Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born

17:1 The Lord commanded Abram to walk before him and be blameless when Abram was 99.
17:2 The Lord made a covenant with Abram
17:3 Abram fell on his face before God.
17:4 The Lord said my covenant is with you and you shall be the father of many nations
17:5 The Lord changed his name from Abram to Abraham
17:6 The Lord said I will make you exceedingly fruitful and things will come from you
17:7 God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants to be their God forever
17:8 God will give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants forever
17:9 God told Abraham that he and his descendants will keep this covenant
17:10 God commanded that every male must be circumcised
17:11 Circumcision is the sign of the covenant
17:12 The males must all be circumcised at 80 days old and all males in Abraham's house must be circumcised now
17:13 The covenant is everlasting
17:14 All who are not circumcised must be cut off from the people because he has broken God's covenant
17:15 God changes Sarai's name to Sarah
17:16 God promises to bless her and give her a son
17:17 Abraham fell on his face and laughed because Abraham and Sarah were old
17:18 Abraham pleaded that Ishmael would live in God's sight
17:19 God says no and says that Sarah will bear a son, called Issac. Issac will receive the covenant of the Lord.
17:20 God promises to make Ishmael a great nation
17:21 But, God will establish his covenant with Isaac.
17:22 God left Abraham
17:23 Abraham had all the males of his house circumcised
17:24 Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised
17:25 Ismael was 13 when he was circumcised
17:26 Everyone was circumcised the day the Lord commanded it
17:27 All of the house were circumcised

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the door of his tent
18:2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing in front of Him. He ran and bowed to them.
18:3 Abraham pleaded to the Lord not to pass by him
18:4 He pleaded for them to relax under the tree
18:5 Abraham offered them bread
18:6 Abraham ran to Sarah and told her to make cakes
18:7 He ran to the cattle and took a good and tender calf and gave it to the servant to prepare it.
18:8 He took curds, milk and the calf to the men under the tree
18:9 They asked him where Sarah was and Abraham replied in the tent
18:10 The Lord said Sarah will have a baby in the spring. Sarah was listening behind the tent door
18:11 Sarah laughed to herself at hearing this
18:13 The Lord asked Abraham why did Sarah laugh at this?
18:14 He asked is anything too hard for the Lord?
18:15 Sarah denied laughing, but the Lord said that she did
18:16 The men set off for Sodom and Abraham followed
18:17 The Lord asked if He should hide His plans from Abraham
18:18 Abraham is the chosen one who all descendants will come from
18:19 The Lord decided not to hide it from Abraham because he had chosen Abraham
18:20 The Lord said that because of the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah and the outcry against them is great
18:21 I wil go down and see what is happening for myself
18:22 The men went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood before the Lord
18:23 He asked the Lord if He would destroy the wicked and the righteous together
18:24 He asked if the Lord would spare it for 50 righteous men
18:25 He asked the Lord if He would do what is right
18:26 The Lord said he would spare all of Sodom for the sake of 50 righteous men
18:27 Then Abraham said that he is but dust and ashes
18:28 He asked if he would spare Sodom for 45 righteous men. God said he would.
18:29 Abraham asked them for the sake of 40 men would the Lord spare Sodom. God replied he would spare it.
18:30 Abraham asked then for the sake of 30 would God spare Sodom and God said he would.
18:31 Abraham asked then for the sake of 20 would God spare Sodom and God said that he would.
18:32 Then Abraham asked what about for the sake of 10 and God said he would spare it.
18:33 The Lord went his way and Abraham returned to his place.

19:1 The two Angels came to Sodom in the evening and Lot at the gates rose to meet them and bowed before them
19:2 Lot begged them to spend the night at his house and they refused.
19:3 Lot urged them so strongly they agreed and went to his house for a feast
19:4 The men of Sodom, both young and old surrounded Lot's house
19:5 They called to Lot to bring out the men that there staying with them so that they could "know" them
19:6 Lot went out to the crowd
19:7 He bogged them not to act so wickedly
19:8 He offered his two virgin daughters in replace of his guests
19:9 They rushed Lot and drew close to break down the door.
19:10 The guests saved Lot and shut the door
19:11 The angels struck all of the men with blindness
19:12 The angels asked Lot if he had anyone else to bring out of Sodom
19:13 They told him they were about to destroy this place because the Lord sent them to do it.
19:14 Lot told his sons-in-law to be ready to leave because the Lord was giving to destroy this place, but they thought he was kidding
19:15 The angels told Lot to take his wife and two daughters to leave so they would escape the punishment of the whole city
19:16 Lot hesitated and the angels took them by the hands and led them out of the city
19:17 They told them to flee for their lives and not to look back lest they be consumed
19:18 Lot said oh no my lords
19:19 I cannot go into the hills for I will die
19:20 He begged to be able to flee to another city
19:21 Lot went to the city
19:22 They told Lot to hurry to the city called Zo'ar
19:23 The sun had risen when Lot made it to Zohar
19:24 The Lord rained fire and brimstone down upon Sodom and Gomorrah
19:25 The Lord overthrew the whole city and valley and everything that grew on the ground
19:26 Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt
19:27 Abraham rose early in the morning and stood before the Lord
19:28 He looked down at Sodom and Gomorrah and saw the smoke
19:29 God destroyed the cities of the Valley but remembered Abraham and spared Lot
19:30 Lot left Zohar and dwelled in a cave with his two daughters
19:31 The older daughter said to the younger that there is no man to bear us children
19:32 She said let's get Lot drunk and have sex with him so they can have offspring
19:33 So they made Lot drink and the oldest daughter laid with him
19:34 The older daughter said let us make him drink so that you can lay with him tonight
19:35 The younger daughter had sex with him and Lot did not know
19:36 Both Lot's daughters were with child by him
19:37 The eldest daughter gave birth to Moab who is the father of the Moabites
19:38 The youngest daughter gave birth to Ben-ammi, the father of the Ammonites

20:1 Abraham journeyed to Negev and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur
20:2 Abraham told them that Sarah was his sister and Abimelech, king of Gerar, took her as his wife
20:3 The Lord appeared to Abimelech and said you are a dead man for taking Sarah as your wife
20:4 Abimelech asked if the Lord would slay an innocent man because he had not slept with her
20:5 Abimelech pleaded with the Lord because Abraham had said she was his sister.
20:6 The Lord replied that He had not let Abimelech touch Sarah
20:7 The Lord said to return Sarah to Abraham and you will live, otherwise you will die
20:8 Abimelech told his servants this and they are all very afraid
20:9 Abimelech told Abraham that you have done things to me that ought not be done to man
20:10 Abimelech asked why Abraham would do such a thing.
20:11 Abraham replied he did this so he would not be killed
20:12 He also revealed that Sarah is the daughter of his father, but not the daughter of his mother, so he took her as his wife
20:13 He told him that he did it because the Lord told him to do it
20:14 Abimelech gave Abraham sheep and oxen, slaves and restored Sarah to him
20:15 Abimelech offered Abraham wherever he wished to say
20:16 Abimelech said to Sarah that he has now righted his wrong against her
20:17 Then Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech and his house
20:18 The Lord had closed all of the wombs of Abimelech's house because of Sarah

21:1 The Lord visited Sarah and fulfilled his promise
21:2 Sarah bore a son to Abraham as God had promised
21:3 Abraham called his son Isaac
21:4 Abraham circumcised Isaac as God commanded him
21:5 Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born
21:6 Sarah said God has made laughter for me
21:7 Sarah said I have bore a son to Abraham in my old age
21:8 Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned
21:9 Sarah saw Ishmael playing with Isaac
21:10 Sarah demanded that Abraham cast out Hagar and her son
21:11 Abraham was very displeased
21:12 The Lord said to Abraham to do as Sarah asked
21:13 He promised Abraham that He would make a nation of Ishmael
21:14 Abraham gave Hagar bread and water and cast them out. Hagar wandered into the wilderness of Beer-Sheba
21:15 Hagar put the child under the bushes
21:16 She left the child so as not to watch him die. Ishmael cried out and wept for her
21:17 The Lord heard Ishmael and sent an Angel to comfort Hagar
21:18 The angel commanded Hagar to carry the child because he would be the father of a great nation
21:19 God opened her eyes and she saw a well and gave her son a drink
21:20 God was with Ishmael and he grew up strong and became good with the bow
21:21 Ishmael lived in the wilderness of Paran and Hagar took a wife for him from Egypt
21:22 Abimelech and Phicol (the commander of the army) came to Abraham and said God is with you in all you do
21:23 Abimelech asked Abraham to deal with him squarely
21:24 Abraham swore he would
21:25 Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well which had been seized by Abimelech's servants
21:26 Abimelech said he had no knowledge of this
21:27 Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech said he had no knowledge of this
21:28 Abimelech asked what was the meaning of the 7 ewes Abraham had set apart
21:29-30 Abraham replied that these 7 ewes were a sign that Abimelech would know that Abraham had dug this well
21:31 The place was called Beer-Sheba because both men had made a covenant
21:32 Abimelech and Phicol returned to the Land of the Philistines
21:33 Abraham planted a tree in Ber-Sheba and called on the name of the Lord
21:34 Abraham sojourned may days in the land of the Philistines

22:1 God then tested Abraham
22:2 God told Abraham to take Isaac, his only son whom he loved, to Moriah and offer him as a burnt sacrifice
22:3 Abraham took Isaac and two men and left for the place God had told him to go
22:4 Abraham saw the place on the third day
22:5 Abraham left the two men and took Isaac
22:6 Abraham took the word of the offering and laid it on Isaac and took the fire and knife in his hands and traveled to the mountain
22:7 Isaac asked Abraham where the offering was
22:8 Abraham replied that God will provide the offering
22:9 Abraham built an altar and laid Isaac on it and bound him
22:10 Abraham took the knife to kill his son
22:11 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham and he stopped
22:12 The angel commanded Abraham not to harm the boy because the Lord knew that Abraham withheld nothing from him
22:13 A ram was stuck in the bush and Abraham killed and offered the ram to God
22:14 Abraham called the place the Lord will provide
22:15 The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time
22:16 The Lord declared that because Abraham had not withheld his son
22:17 That he will bless Abraham and fulfill the covenant
22:18 Because Abraham obeyed the voice of God all nations will bless themselves through him
22:19 Abraham and Isaac and the two men returned to Beer-Sheba
22:20 Abraham learned that his brother Nahor had children: Uz, Buz and Kemu'el, father of Aram
22:22 Kemu'el also had Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethu'el
22:23 Bethel became the father of Rebekah
22:24 Nahor's concubine Reumah had Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Ma'acah

23:1 Sarah lived 127 years
23:2 Sarah died at Kir'iath-ar' by Hebron in Canaan. Abraham mourned her
23:3 Abraham spoke to the Hittites
23:4 He asked for a place to bury Sarah
23:5 The Hittites answered
23:6 They offered Abraham the best places to bury Sarah
23:7 Abraham bowed to the
23:8 He asked for Ephron, son of Zohar
23:9 He asked Ephron for the cave Mach-pe'lah and he would pay full price
23:10 Ephron was sitting among the Hittites
23:11 Ephron offered the cave and tiled to Abraham for free
23:12 Abraham bowed down before the people of the Lord
23:13 Abraham insisted that he pay
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham
23:15 He said it is worth 400 shekels of silver and asked what is that between us. He insisted that Abraham bury his dead.
23:16 Abraham measured out 400 shekels of silver among the Hittites and paid Ephron
23:17 The field and the cave were given to Abraham
23:18 It was done in front of the Hittites
23:19 Abraham buried Sarah in the cave
23:20 The Hittites sold the land and the cave to Abraham

Salvation in Christianity

(Originally written April 22, 2007 in Book 15)

A Tapestry of Faiths
Win Corduan

Is Christianity alone true?

By asking if a religion is true we ask if it is as a whole true, not if it contains some truth.

Pluralism asserts that all truth claims made by all religions are equal.

Hick claims that those Christians who maintain exclusivist theologies must revise their thinking.

Hick's pluralism is however, completely wrongheaded. No religion teaches that it is one way of relating to the Real.

Most, if not all, religions make exclusive claims. This is another point where Hick's theory does not accurately describe religions.

Hick's theory is either false or arbitrary if it is based on data from religion it is obviously false. If it is not then it is simply arbitrary.

Hick also demands that religions, especially Christianity, rewrite themselves to fit his theory. This is absurd.

Rather than an aggressive form of pluralism like Hick's, William P. Alston postulates a more subtle form:

1) Christians basing their beliefs on their mystical experience of God are justified in holding there beliefs.
2) Adherents of different religions basing their beliefs on their mystical experience are justified in holding their beliefs.
3) There is no way of adjudicating between different belief systems.
4) All persons are entitled to their beliefs since their system is coherent and productive.

Alston's theory hinges on mystical experience alone. He ignores any other type of evidence.

There are two component in accepting a belief system as true:
1) Accepting the beliefs as true
2) Justification of the belief system

Some ways of justifying religious beliefs:
1) They are self-evident
2) based on experience
3) superiority of teaching, etc., etc.

Christians can find confirmation for the beliefs in:
1) General revelation and natural theology
2) Fundamental rationality of Christian beliefs (Plantinga's "warrant" or "proper function")
3) Historical and archeological evidence
4) Inner witness of the Holy Spirit
5) Experience of when God manifested himself

Mainly, Christians have grounds for their beliefs that correspond to reality.

Christianity as a belief system based on the New Testament must be either false or exclusively true.

To deny pluralism one must show that it is rational to believe that Christianity is exclusively true.

Establishing Grounds for Answers

The problem of evil has been posed as a loving God is incompatible with the circumstances of this world since the time of Hume. But, Marilyn McCord Adams made the excellent point that: "It does the atheologian no good to argue for the falsity of Christianity on the ground that the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, pleasure-maximizer is incompatible with a world such as ours, because Christians never believed that God was a pleasure-maximizer anyway" (Corduan, 156).

Christian theology must be firmly rooted and wholly based in Biblical revelation. One cannot abstract a specific principle and build from there (a common mistake).

Who is Definitely Saved?

In Old Testament theology those who are the people of God are saved by faith in God. These include the chosen people, converts to the chosen people (i.e. Ruth) and those who helped form the chosen people.

New Testament theology demands personal knowledge of the gospel as a prerequisite to salvation: How can we accept what he does not know?

In addition to knowing the Gospel, one must accept it as true and place trust in the atoning work of Christ.

The New Testament stress the need for missionary work.

The notion of implicit faith in Christ as a way of salvation is oxymoronic. Implicit faith makes as much sense as unfelt pain or inaudible speech.

However, all of these seemingly incoherent expressions are made coherent by mediation. Inaudible speech is made coherent by the usage of sign language. Sign language mediates the speech.

The sacrificial cultus of pre-Christ Jews was the meditation for implicit faith.

Who is Perhaps Saved Before Christ?

In the Old Testament the people of Israel are those who were saved. In the New Testament explicit faith in Christ and his atonement is the criterion for salvation.

To expand either of these criterions require that it is Biblically revealed, not what is merely fair or consistent.

Idolatry, under no circumstances can serve as the mediator in implicit faith. Thus, idolators are not saved.

C.S. Lewis claims that prayers made to false gods in earnest are heard by the true God. But, Lewis cannot substantiate this theory with Biblical evidence.

One argument for idolatry as a mediating device for implicit faith is the relationship of Abram and Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was the priest of El Elyon (God Most Hight) and Abram paid him a tithe for his blessing.

Clark Pinnock makes the claim that El Elyon and YHWH are equivalent. Corduan contends that rather than being equivalent deities, El Elyon and YHWH are identical, two names for the same deity.

This argument (Cordon's) makes sense because Hebrews 7's treatment of Melchizedek as the forerunner of Christ. If Melchizedek were some pagan priest, Hebrews 7 would make no sense.

Melchizedek and others (like Jethro, Moses' father-in-law) are saved by their implicit faith in Christ as mediated by their explicit faith in the God of original monotheism who is identical to the God of Old Testament Israel.

Who is perhaps saved after Christ?

The Jews were no longer saved by being a member of the chosen people because they rejected Christ. Thus, even if Gentiles were worshippers of the original monotheistic God and equivalent to Jews they are no longer saved.

In the New Testament men who worshipped the God of original monotheism were granted the opportunity to have explicit faith in Christ:
1) The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)
2) Cornelius, the Roman Centurion (Acts 10)
3) The "God-fearing Greeks" (Acts 17:4)
4) Apollos (Acts 18:24-28)
5) The disciples of John the Baptist (Acts 19:1-6)

"Natural revelation does not save, but it provides the opportunity for the saving message to be sent to those who respond to it" (Corduan, 168).

Thomas Aquinas believed in this, "God will send the message" theory. Robertson McQuilken and Oliver Buswell also advocate this position.

Epistemologically - Is Christianity alone true?
Metaphysically: Do the effects of Christ's atonement extend only to those who believe in Him?

Yes! But, there is a small amount of room for implicit faith in pre-Christ times.

Ethically: Is a human being required to express faith in Christ in order to be eligible for salvation? Yes.

Subjectively: Is an implicit faith in Christ expressed in actions as valid as an explicit faith? Yes, only in pre-Christ times.

Theologically: Does God's saving love extend to those who do not know of Christ? Yes, but only within the further plan of God.

Socially: Are those who never heard of the gospel without hope of salvation? Yes, but God reaches out in the New Testament to those without limited with natural revelation and why would he stop this practice?

Original Monotheism, Special Revelation and other Scriptures

(Originally written April 11, 2007 in Book 15)

Subsequent Reaction to Schmidt & Original Monotheism

Whether or not one accepts Schmidt's theory it is no longer possible to strictly adhere to an evolutionary theory of religion in light of Schmidt's anthropological evidence.

The most common reaction to Schmidt is to reject his conclusions on an idealogical basis.

Joseph M. Kitasawa claims that while historical evidence is good in the origin theory, any religion's origin is ultimately answerable with metaphysical answers.

Others, like many post-modernists, including David Adams Leeming, claim that religion arises out of a specific social context. Historical investigation is wholly absent from this type of analysis.

Raffaele Pettazzoni attempts to bridge the gap of extreme historistic theories and purely a historical phenomenology. He gave history its due place, but did not draw such strong conclusions as Schmidt.

Pettazzoni maintained that the Supreme god of primitive cultures did not constitute monotheistic religion because that god was a creator and sustainer god, but a remote god nonetheless. He argued that only reform from polytheism could lead to true monotheism.

Summary

There is good reason to believe that religion began with the awareness of a single, creator God.

The God of original monotheism is identical to the God of Scripture in his basic attributes.

The persistence of monotheism can be attributed to the historical continuity with the awareness of God by the first human beings and its reinforcement in general revelation.

General revelation has two dimensions:
1) An intuitive one
2) A rational one

Both yield:
1) Knowledge of the existence of God
2) Knowledge of God's attributes
3) Knowledge of a fundamental moral sense

Chapter 3 - Special Revelation and Non-Christian Scriptures

Christianity maintains that special revelation is located in the Old Testament and New Testament, as well as in Jesus Christ himself.

There are many non-Christian scriptures, but the nature of Scripture is radically different in each religion.

Corduan's "The Protestant Fallacy" is reading other religions' scriptures as one would read the Christian Scriptures. Since scriptural nature varies from religion to religion there can be no single way of reading or regarding Scriptures. One cannot assume the role of Scripture in any religion is identical to the role of Scripture in Christianity.

The Protestant Fallacy

Classical Protestantism holds that the Bible is the literal Word of God and thus, the text is inspired by God.

Protestantism asserts "sola scriptura". That is, there is no other source for propositional revelation other than the Bible.

Protestant Christianity is an "extremely book-bound form of religion" (Corduan, 57-58).

Protestant Christianity stands or falls by Scriptural assertions.

The Protestant fallacy is applying this "sola scriptura" mentality (which is appropriate for the Bible) to other religion's scriptures.

Judaism: The Deuterocanon as key to the Canon

The Protestant fallacy manifests itself when one assumes that to understand Judaism one must simply study the Old Testament.

This can lead to assertions like, "since the Jews no longer perform the ritual sacrifices they are required by their own scriptures, Judaism is internally incoherent".

The Scriptures of Judaism are identical with the Old Testament Canon of Christianity. These books are known in Judaism as the Tanak (TNK).

The Tanak is an acronym based on the Hebrew names of the three divisions of writings:
1) the Law - Torah
2) the Prophets - Nebiim
3) the Writings - Ketubim

When Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70 the Jews began writing down the interpretations of the Tanak which had been entirely oral before.

The Mishnah was produced around A.D. 500. Later, the Talmud was produced.

Since the production of the Talmud, all Judaism is Talmudic Judaism.

Orthodox Judaism holds that the Talmud, though not inspired, is expendable, but not revisable.

Other sects of Judaism, like Cabalistic movements accepted the Zohar as a supplement, but not a replacement, to the Talmud.

While the Tanak is the only Scripture in Judaism, all governance of life is done via the Talmud.

The Jewish Scriptures (for better or worse) must be interpreted through the lens of the Talmud.

Islam: The Qur'an as Event

The Qur'an is the compilation of what was revealed to Muhammad.

The Qur'an is merely excerpts from God's full book in heaven, the umm-al-kitub.

Muslims believe the Qur'an is as it is exactly as it was when it was revealed to Muhammad.

Despite its lofty place in Islam, the Qur'an was supplemented easy on by another book. The Hadith is a collection of the acts and sayings of Muhammad.

While the Hadith is not considered to be revealed like the Qur'an, it is nonetheless as binding as the Qur'an.

The value of the Qur'an within Islam has little to do with its content. The value lies in its very occurrence.

The Qur'an is utterly pristine, whereas other men's revelatory books like Moses' Law, David's Psalms and Jesus' Gospels while being products of revelation were distorted by their followers.

TO recognize the Qur'an is more important than to read it.

The Qur'an is not a human book at all; whereas, the Bible is wholly human and wholly divine.

Muslims believe that the Qur'an mediates God's presence into their lives.

Even in non-Arabic speaking countries the Qur'an is devoutly recited in Arabic. Recitation of the Qur'an is the most important function of the Qur'an in the Muslim community.

Zoroastrianism: A Ritual Accumulation

Similar to the Bible, the canon of Zoroastrianism is a collection of works spanning many centuries.

The Zoroastrianism Scripture is called the Avesta.

The oldest part of the Avesta is the Yasna, which contains hymns called the Gathas, some of which date back to Zoroaster (6th century B.C.).

The Videvdat is the newest part of the Avesta and dates from when Zoroastrianism was the State religion of Iran (A.D. 226 - 637).

The Avesta is not a great source for authoritative information about Zoroastrianism because the language is so impenetrable.

The language of the Gathas is called Avesta because it is simply so different from any other languages.

"One scholar of Iranian religion [H.S. Nybers] has maintained that the Gathas are so difficult to understand because they are intentional gibberish" (Corduan, 62).

Even in the Zoroastrian community, the Avesta is not supposed to be a source of information.

The Avesta is a ritual text used to recite as worship and purification.

Sikhism: A day in the Life of the Book

The Adi Granth is the Scripture of Sikhism.

Nanak (1469-1539) founded Sikhism as a way to bridge Hinduism and Islam. He taught that there is only one God whose nature lies beyond human reason and religious imagery.

Nanak was considered a holy guru by his followers. He was then followed by 9 other holy gurus, each seen as the embodiment of divine light.

Arjan Dev, the 5th Guru compiled all his and the previous gurus' chants and hymns into the Adi Granth.

Gobind Singh (1666-1708) the 10th and final guru, declared that there would be no more gurus and the Adi Granth would be the guru forever more.

From then on the book itself, which is displayed in the Golden Shrine of Amritsa has been recognized as true and binding by all Sikhs.

The Adi Granth is the very embodiment of God.

The Adi Granth functions in two ways:
1) It is the hymn book of the congregation
2) It is venerated as the holy guru.

The actual book is put to sleep in a bed at night and woken up and placed on an altar each morning.

"The basic function of the Adi Granth is an object of veneration, not as a record of revelation" (Corduan, 65).

Baha'i : A Canon Plus a Canon

Baha'i is a young religion founded by Baha'ullah.

Baha'ullah is considered to be a manifestation of God. He was the 9th manifestation after Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha'ullah.

Baha'ullah taught that all these other prophets had inspired writings and that his own writings complete the canon of world Scriptures for the time being.

The Baha'i Scriptures should be read in a similar fashion as the Protestant Christian Bible is, but the Baha'i Scriptures are paralleled by all the other 8 world Scriptures, whereas the Bible stands alone.

Hinduism: A Protean Canon

Eastern religions have sacred texts in a very different way then to Western religions, especially Christianity.

Hindu sacred texts are divided into two groups:
1) The Shruti
2) The Smriti

The Shruti are "seen", they were directly revealed to the semi-divine rishis of old who passed them down.

The Smriti are "heard", they are merely passed down as tradition only.

Shruti:
- Vedas
- Brahmanas
- Upanishads

Smriti:
- Ramayana
- Mahabharata
- Bhagavad Gita

The Smriti are epic poems and the deuterocanon, while the canon is the Vedic complex.

The distinction is much more ambiguous in reality then in theory.

Buddhism: Canon by Selection

Two major books:
1) Poli Canon
2) Lotus Sutra

The Poli Canon contains the Tripitaka (Three Baskets) and is the oldest Buddhist writings.

The Tripitaka is associated with the older, more traditional form of Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism.

The Lotus Sutra is associated with the more recent and more innovative form of Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism.

Chinese and Japanese Religions

Scriptures and Canon are not easily adapted for Far East Religions.

Religion/Scriptures

Daoism - The Doodejing & the Zhuangzi
Confucianism - The Analects
Shinto - The Kojiki, the Nihong and the Amatsu Narito

The Daodejing contains the wisdom of Lao Tzu, the founder of Daoism.

The Zhuangzi is a collection of anecdotal essays by the teacher Laozi (but probably not the same Laozi/Lao-Tzu)

The Analects is the teachings of Confucius.

The Kojiki is the official Japanese traditional myth. The Nihangi is a supplement to the Kojiki. The Amatsu Nihong is a book of standard prayers and rituals of Shinto.

The Singularity of the Christian Scriptures

The Christian Scriptures is different from all other Scriptures and all Scriptures are unique in their own way.

All Scriptures contain some truths, if truth is meant as that which corresponds to reality.

However, if truth is understood under the coherence theory of truth rather than the correspondence theory of truth then no religions can share truth because they will be truths from differing systems.

Cornelius van Til argued that even knowledge of a flower is different for a Christian and non-Christian. To the Christian, a flower is the creation of a personal God whereas it is a product of chance formation of matter to a non-Christian.

Other Scriptures also contain some wisdom. They also contain some religious truths.

That said, the Bible is sufficient. All we (as Christians) have is the Bible and all we need is the Bible.

There is no deuterocannon in Christianity.

Religious truths in other Scriptures can only be duplications of revealed truths in the Bible.

Other Scriptures do not contain special revelation. But other Scriptures can have a basis in general revelation.

Chapter 8 - Pocket Guide to World Religions

(Originally written February 18, 2007 in Book 14)

Pocket Guide to World Religions
Chapter 8 - Islam

Name

The name Islam literally means, "submission".

Muslim is translated as "one who submits to God".

Muhammadism and Mahometism and derivatives should not be used to describe Muslims.

Numbers and Distribution

There are 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide. 5-7 million Muslims live in the U.S.

The largest populations of Muslims are actually in Asia, not the Middle East.
- India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Symbols

The most common is the crescent moon with a star inside it.

The meaning of the crescent is obscure. Most frequently it is deemed to stand for representing the new moon because many Muslim practices are tied to a lunar calendar.

History

According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca, in A.D. 570.

Muhammad meditated and received messages from God and passed them to the people. These messages were collected in the Qur'an (Koran).

Muhammad preached that there is only one God and all human beings will be held accountable to him at the last judgment.

The idolatrous religions of the Arabian peninsula and their leaders took offense at Muhammad's message and persecuted the new Muslim community. They fled Mecca.

Muhammad and his followers formed an army in nearby Medina. They returned to Mecca and purged the city of idolatry and claimed it for Islam.

After Muhammad died the Muslim community split over who would be his successor. This is where the Shi'ite and Sunni division took place.

During this time of inner strife, Islam spread rapidly. Over 30 years nearly the entire Middle East and Northern Africa was conquered by Islam.

Islam is not simply a religion, ti is  aching that encompasses an entire community, including government.

Scriptures

Only one book contains the complete and true revelation of God, the Qur'an.

Islam recognizes the Law of Moses, the Psalms of David and the Gospels of Jesus as holy books, but they have been corrupted and thus, are unreliable.

Also the Hadith is a collection of several words from Muhammad and stories of his life. The Hadith is not the word of Allah, but it is an authoritative interpretation of the Qur'an.

Major Beliefs

There are Five or Six Essential beliefs in Islam

1) God
- Allah is one God
- He can neither be divided nor multiplied
-Islam rejects polytheism and Christianity's idea of the Trinity

2) Angels and Spirits
- There are beings who were created to serve humans and Allah
- The angel Gabriel presented Muhammad with his first revelation
- The jinn are malicious spirits
- Iblis is the spirit who refused to bow to Adam and became the devil

3) Prophets
- God has designated individuals to be prophets in order to declare his standards
- Muhammad is the "seal of the prophets". He brought the same message, but it has been preserved without corruption or alteration
- Noah, Adam, Abraham and Jesus are some notable prophets recognized by Islam

4) Books
- Some prophets (Moses, Jesus, David and Muhammad) embodied their words in books. Jews and Christians have flawed books, but their devotion to Monotheism, gain them a special standing as "people of the book"

5) Judgment
- all will be judged at the last judgment
- at the final judgment a book of their actions will be placed in every persons' hands by an angel. If it is placed in their left hand they are condemned. If it is placed in their right hand they will spend eternity with Allah in Heaven.
- If you submitted to Allah you will spend eternity in Heaven. Some who have never even heard of Islam will be deemed to have submitted while those who claim to be Muslim may be deemed to have not submitted
- "Allah's judgement will be harshest on hypocrites and lapsed Muslims" (Corduan, 84).

Subgroups

There are two major divisions amongst Muslims:
1) Sunnis
2) Shi'ites

The split is primarily historical, but there are few belief/practice differences as well.

Sunni Muslims followed Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad's fathers-in-law, upon Muhammad's death.

According to the Sunni tradition, Muhammad's spiritual gifts died with him and the Qur'an is the final say on all matters.

The Shi'ite Muslims followed Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law. Ali, according to the Shi'ite tradition, possessed a spiritual endowment from the prophet.

Shi'ites believe that their leaders, the imams, have, if not authority on par with the Qur'an, the final say on interpretation.

Sunni Islam does not have a central authority, is fairly uniform and believe Mecca is the only pilgrimage. The Shi'ite tradition has a hierarchy with 1 imam, 12ish ayatollahs and many local mullahs, is split into further divisions and has other major pilgrimage sites like the tombs of Ali and Hussein.

Sunnis have a vague expectation of a future leader, the Mahdi.

Shi'ites believe that an important imam went into concealment hundreds of years ago and continues to live there. He will return as the Mahdi.

The vast majority of Muslims are Sunni.

Yemen, Lebanon and Iran contain significant numbers of Shi'ites.

Iraq is mostly Shi'ite and contain most of the Shi'ite holy sites. Ironically, Iraq has almost always been ruled by a Sunni government from the Turkish Sultans to the Hashemite Kings to the Baath party.

Worship Practices:

The Five Pillars of Islam

1) Confession: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah". This must be recited by all Muslims

2) Prayer
- Muslims must pray five times daily
- After prayer is called, the worshiper must rinse one's hands, feet, eyes and mouth three times as a purification ritual
- Men and wormen pray separately
- They pray side by side and perform ritual moments while silently reciting the Qur'an

3) Fasting
- During the month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset
- It is a month of meditation and reflection

4) Alms giving
- Muslims must provide for the poor and needy
- The Zakat is required annual contribution of about 2.5% of one's income

5) Pilgrimage
- All muslims should visit Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime.

Jihad: Holy War
- Sometimes called the 6th pillar
- Literally means "struggle"
- "Greater Jihad" inner struggle of each individual to submit to Allah
- "Lesser Jihad" -outward struggle to defend the Islamic community
- The Qur'an forbids conversion by force
- Physical warfare is legitimate in two cases:
1) To protect an oppressed Muslim minority
2) TO reclaim what was once Islamic territory

Religious Buildings

Islamic places of worship are called mosques

Mosques traditionally have turrets with balconies for the muezzin to call to prayer.

A niche indicating the way to Mecca is in the front of the empty hall of the Mosque.

There is also a separate place for women to pray away from the men.

Sermons are given on Friday afternoons.

Home Practices

Most prayers are said at home.

The Qur'an states that a man may have up to four wives, so long as he treats each of them equally in all respects.

Clothing

Men and women are expected to dress modestly in public.

The full face veil is not a Koranic requirement for women.

Women must keep all but their faces covered while men must keep everything down to their knees and above their elbows covered.

Diet

The Halal is the food laws followed by Muslims.

The halal is similar to the Jewish Kosher laws.

Muslims mustn't eat pork or anything that has come into contact with pork.

Calendar

The Islamic Calendar has 12 months of approximately 29 1/2 days.

The Islamic calendar is 11 days shorter than the Western one.

The calendar began with Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina called the hijira in A.D. 622. It is designated 1 A.H (Anno Hegirae).

2000 A.D. roughly coincided with 1421 A.H.

The two major holidays are:
1) Ramadan - the month of fasting
2) Eid-al-Adha pilgrims sacrifice animals outside of Mecca to observe God's gift to Abraham

Structure of Matthew

(Originally written January 10, 2006 in Notebook 20)

Matthew

Structure: Narrative & Teaching

Ch. 1-4 is Narrative
Ch. 5-7 is Teaching
Ch. 8-9:34 is Narrative
Ch. 9:35-10:42 is Teaching
Ch. 11-12 is Narrative
Ch. 13:1-52 is Teaching
Ch. 13:53-17 is Narrative
Ch. 18 is Teaching
Ch. 19-23 is Narrative
Ch. 24-25 is Teaching
Ch. 26-28 is Narrative

5 Women in Matthew's Genealogy
1) Tamar
2) Rahab
3) Ruth
4) Bathsheba
5) Mary

Why were these women placed in the Genealogy?
1) All were sinners?
2) All were foreigners/Gentiles?
3) Something extraordinary about these women's relationship with their husbands? (Dr. Heth's choice)

Matthew 1:1

1) Son of David/Davidic Covenant:
-House
-Kingdom
-Throne

2) Son of Abraham/Abrahamic Covenant:
- All nations blessed through Abraham

John 8:41 indicates that the Jews knew Jesus was a bastard (illegitimate)

Some Cultural Context for the New Testament

(Originally written January 3, 2006 in Notebook 20)

Class Notes

Part I, the Old Testament
- Covered thousands of years of history

Abraham (Genesis 12, ca. 2165 BC)
Pentateuch (ca. 1400 BC)
Malachi (ca. 430 BC)

430 BC - AD 33 "Intertestemental History"
(The 400 Silent Years)

New Testament

AD 33 - Jesus
Gospels AD 55-90

When was the Pentateuch written?
- 4th year of Solomon's reign - 966 BC
- Date of the Exodus - 1446 BC
- Israel Wandered 40 years (1446 - 1406 BC)

It is likely that Moses wrote the Pentateuch during the wandering.

Part II of the Bible

Covered less than 100 years and is a third the length of the Old Testament

When was Jesus born?
- Winter of 5/4 BC (late 5 or early 4)

Christ died on April 13, AD 33.

A 6th century monk miscalculated the year of Jesus' birth when setting up the system of dating B.C. and A.D.

The Old Testament is called the Hebrew Bible or the Tanak by the Jews.

Tank is an acronym:
Torah (Law or Instruction)
Neviim (the Prophets)
Kethuvim (the Writings)

Protestant Bible: 66 books
- 39 from the Hebrew Bible
- 27 from the Greek New Testament

Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox churches include additional books: The Apocrypha.

The New Testament stands for the New Covenant, contrasted with the Old Covenant God made with the Israelites at Sinai (Exodus 19). Under this covenant, God forgave the sins of individuals provisionally via animal sacrifices.

The New Testament was written in Greek about A.D. 45-95
- Yet Jesus' native language was Aramaic.

3 Stages of Gospel Composition:
1) Jesus speaks in Aramaic
2) Jewish Christians followers had oral traditions
- Hebrew Jews
- Hellenistic Jews
3) Luke, writing in Greek to gentiles in Rome

Outline of the New Testament
1) History - 4 Gospels & Acts
2) Epistles - Pauline (Journey & Prison) or General
3) Visions - Revelation

Why Study the New Testament? (See Handout 1)

"The relative importance of the document will dictate the care with which it is examined" - Philip Yancy

Historical reason - to understand where the Christian faith came from
Cultural reason - The New Testament has permeated Western Civilization
Theological Reason - inspired account of Jesus' redemptive mission in the world, standard for faith and practice
Devotional Reason - Holy Spirit uses it to help you grow closer to the Lord

Socio-Cultural Setting of the New Testament

1st Century Social Setting

1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God - even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ"

- Jews
- Greeks
- Romans

Jews
- Religious, spiritual people: concerned with their relationships with God
- Believed that God had chosen Israel and that all nations would be blessed through Israel
- 1st century Jews were looking a politically powerful Messiah
- Individual and solitary persons, a minority

Greeks
- Philosophers and intellectuals - speculative and reflective
- Aesthetic - loved beauty, spoke of virtue, admired eloquence
- Original
- Conceited & clever

Romans
- Practical, not speculative or spiritual
- Orderly: excellent in legislation and administration
- A mimic: copied Greek culture, not visionary
- Coarse and cold blooded
- The Romans created an amazing system

A Jewish Palestinian family was larger than the Greco-Roman family (see Psalms 127:3-5)

Joseph & Mary's Betrothal
- Bride money (mohar) affected the Jewish betrothal and marriage customs. The groom paid the family for the girls' hand.

What is an "inn"?
- a spare room in an apartment complex.