Confessions
St. Augustine
Book XIII
Ch. 1
"I call thee into my soul, which thou didst prepare for thy reception by the desire which thou inspirest in it"
Ch. 2
From the fullness of Goodness in God comes creation.
"An unformed spiritual entity is more excellent than a formed corporeal entity; and the corporeal, even when unformed, is more excellent than if it were simply nothing at all"
"The true good of every created thing is always to cleave fast to thee"
Ch. 3
God is the only being that does not have a distinction in his being between living and living in blessedness, "thou art thyself thy own blessedness".
Ch. 4
God created out of his goodness and fullness, not because He lacked anything.
Ch. 5
Augustine argues the language of Genesis affirms the Trinity.
Ch. 6
Augustine wonders why the Spirit was introduced after the waters he was moving over.
Ch. 7
The Holy Spirit lifts us up to the inner heavens where our souls can find rest.
Ch. 8
Augustine confesses that his existence is woe apart from God.
Ch. 9
The Holy Spirit is how we enjoy God.
Ch. 10
"Let him who is able to understand this; and let him who is not ask of thee". Lord, I ask of thee. I don't understand this passage at all.
Ch. 11
What man can fully understand the Trinity? By analogy we can understand how a trinity exists in an unity, but the complete understanding of the Trinity is too much for man.
Ch. 12
When we became displeased with our darkness we turned to thee and there was light.
Ch. 13
We live by faith not by sight because we live by hope in the promise that one day we'll see face-to-face.
Ch. 14
The relapse into the darkness can occur in us but hope and pray and praise God in even the darkness of the night.
Ch. 15
The whole of Scriptures is like the skins God stretched for Adam and Eve after the fall. It is His words stretched over us to protect us and clothe us.
Ch. 16
I cannot satisfy myself; only God can satisfy me.
Everything God is He immutably is.
Ch. 17
When we help our neighbors physically we perform both a physical and spiritual task with both physical and spiritual results.
Ch. 18
By feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and sheltering the homeless we operate on a low level of fruitful action and can come to the joy of contemplation.
By God's eternal design He spreads the Heavenly blessing on earth in the proper seasons.
Ch. 19
Augustine encourages Christians into missionary work: be the light of the world you are!
Ch. 20
"O God, who dost refresh our easily wearied mortal senses that is our mental cognition a single thing may be figured and signified in many different ways by different bodily motions"
Augustine argues he sees the text of Genesis allegorically because it leads to the higher things of God. He notes that those who can't move past the text in its physical meaning still have a soul that has a higher life that profits from the spiritual text.
Ch. 21
Don't be overcome by pride, lust or morbid curiosity. These things are signs of a dead soul because the soul has sought things away from the wellspring of life.
Only wen man has become renewed in his mind by God can he walk in the image of God he was created in without any human guidance.
Ch. 22
Be not conformed to this world.
Ch. 23
Now as a Spiritual man it does not behoove him to judge the Scriptures, even if there are parts hard to understand. "Instead, we submit our understanding to it and believe with certainty that which is hidden from our sight is still rightly and truly spoken"
"Nor does a man, even though he is
spiritual, judge the disordered state of society in this world. For what business of
his is it to judge those who are without, since he cannot know which of them may
later on come into the sweetness of thy grace, and which of them may continue in
the perpetual bitterness of their impiety?" That's an interesting point...
Ch. 24
Augustine takes, "be fruitful and multiply" on an allegorical level to mean to increase our fruitfulness of mind because even the beasts are fruitful and multiply physically.
Ch. 25
All men are liars. The truth they speak is only through God's truth.
Ch. 26
Paul was fed with joy and that is why he can be content in all situations.
Ch. 27
The uninstructed and the infidel require mysteries of initiation and great works of miracles. The instructed already accept God.
Ch. 28
The whole of creation, an amalgam of things called good by God, is called very good by God. The sum is greater than the parts.
Ch. 29
The things we see through God's spirit he sees the same way. But the temporal things we see in a way different than God because God does not see things in time.
Ch. 30
Augustine argues against the dualistic notion of a benevolent creator of all things spiritual and a malevolent creator of all things physical.
Ch. 31
What we see as good in creation we see as good because God has called it good.
Ch. 32
The imago dei is having the power of reason and understanding.
Ch. 33
Creation was made by God but made of God.
Ch. 34
In order to perfect the faithful God ordained that the faithful, "should themselves bring forth good things" for both this life and the next.
Ch. 35
Augustine prays for peace and rest.
Ch. 37
God exists outside of time but created everything that exists in time.
God takes the Sabbath and rests in us when He completes the work in us.
Ch. 38
"We can see all those things which thou hast made because they are - but they are because thou seest them."
God has never ceased to do good.
Only by seeking truth in God will we find any truth.
Showing posts with label Genesis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genesis. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Notes on Confessions Book XII
Confessions
St. Augustine
Book XII
Ch. 1
God promises the truth even in hard tasks.
Ch. 2
Earth is inferior to the heavens, the unseen, non-corporeal heavens.
Ch. 3
There was nothing before creation.
Ch. 4
The problem of religious language is written into Genesis. Our words are insufficient to explain pre-creation so we call it "void", or "abyss", or "formless".
Ch. 5
The mind struggles with the insufficiency of language to visualize pre-creation.
Ch. 6
The human mind does not have the context to imagine the true nothingness before creation.
Ch. 7
God created everything out of nothing.
Ch. 8
God made the unformed matter out of nothing. Then He shaped the matter into things.
Ch. 9
God's creations of intellectual substructures in which creation exists are not coeternal with God.
Ch. 10
"I was death to myself; in thee I have revived"
Ch. 11
God is eternal, alone has immortality, is unchangeable and, "thy will is not altered by temporal processes"
Only sin, which is an action that leads away from God is not from God.
Ch. 12
God did not leave everything formless.
Ch. 13
Augustine backs up his theories by interpreting the order of creation in Genesis.
Ch. 14
Augustine acknowledges that not everyone will buy his theory. Even believers might not conform to his theories on this.
Ch. 15
God is eternal. His will is eternal.
Ch. 16
God is the one supreme and true Good.
Augustine argues his point as being merited by conclusions flowing from premises other Christians must accept as valid.
Ch. 17
Augustine argues that the language of Genesis lends itself to a deeper philosophical meaning that is in line with his theories when viewed allegorically.
Ch. 18
Augustine argues that an allegorical understanding of Scripture is valid and profitable.
Augustine also notes that the truth in the Scriptures, while not relative, is reachable by various intellects and various perspectives and that it doesn't profit Christianity to argue about perspectives of the truth if those perspectives are of the truth indeed.
Ch. 19
Augustine asserts all things that exist are created by God and that is something all Christians agree on, even if they don't all believe Augustine's allegorical understanding of the phrase, "heaven and earth", meaning the things unseen, spiritual Creation and the visible, corporeal Creation.
Ch. 20
Augustine relates a number of interpretations of what is meant by, "in the beginning God created Heaven and Earth"
Ch. 21
Augustine relates an number of interpretations of the meaning of the phrase, "the earth was invisible and unformed and darkness was over the abyss"
Ch. 22
Augustine argues that the waters over which the spirit of the Lord hovered cannot be anything unmade; they were made by God though it isn't explicitly written in Genesis
Ch. 23
Augustine makes a distinction between asking what is the truth of the text and what Moses was trying to convey to his audience.
Ch. 24
Augustine argues that the truth of Scripture, "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" is clear and distinct. God created everything. He will firmly hold that truth. All other interpretations of the truth he will consider, but not hold firm as the interpretation is not as clear as the divine revelation.
Ch. 25
The theological arguments should not occur out of pride. When disagreements on interpretation happen, move beyond them and love thy neighbor.
Ch. 26
It's ok to have deeper meanings, further meanings within Scripture as long as they are true meanings.
Ch. 27
People understand more of the Scripture as they grow.
Ch. 28
Some see Scripture no longer as a nest as beginners do, but as a shady thicket harboring fruits deep inside it.
Ch. 29
Augustine explains matter comes before form in a non-sequential way in creation. Matter comes prior to form as a tune is formed simultaneously as the sounds that constitute it. The tune is prior to the sounds because it arranges the notes and the notes form the tune.
Ch. 30
Truth should bring concord, not discord.
The Scriptures were written primarily to minister for the light of truth and to increase the fruitfulness of the readers.
Ch. 31
Augustine argues that Moses knew the deep truths of what he wrote because it was revealed through him.
He also mentions he prefers to give credence to multiple interpretations so as not to exclude any bit of truth.
Ch. 32
Augustine prays for truth and to not be deceived in his understanding of the Truth
St. Augustine
Book XII
Ch. 1
God promises the truth even in hard tasks.
Ch. 2
Earth is inferior to the heavens, the unseen, non-corporeal heavens.
Ch. 3
There was nothing before creation.
Ch. 4
The problem of religious language is written into Genesis. Our words are insufficient to explain pre-creation so we call it "void", or "abyss", or "formless".
Ch. 5
The mind struggles with the insufficiency of language to visualize pre-creation.
Ch. 6
The human mind does not have the context to imagine the true nothingness before creation.
Ch. 7
God created everything out of nothing.
Ch. 8
God made the unformed matter out of nothing. Then He shaped the matter into things.
Ch. 9
God's creations of intellectual substructures in which creation exists are not coeternal with God.
Ch. 10
"I was death to myself; in thee I have revived"
Ch. 11
God is eternal, alone has immortality, is unchangeable and, "thy will is not altered by temporal processes"
Only sin, which is an action that leads away from God is not from God.
Ch. 12
God did not leave everything formless.
Ch. 13
Augustine backs up his theories by interpreting the order of creation in Genesis.
Ch. 14
Augustine acknowledges that not everyone will buy his theory. Even believers might not conform to his theories on this.
Ch. 15
God is eternal. His will is eternal.
Ch. 16
God is the one supreme and true Good.
Augustine argues his point as being merited by conclusions flowing from premises other Christians must accept as valid.
Ch. 17
Augustine argues that the language of Genesis lends itself to a deeper philosophical meaning that is in line with his theories when viewed allegorically.
Ch. 18
Augustine argues that an allegorical understanding of Scripture is valid and profitable.
Augustine also notes that the truth in the Scriptures, while not relative, is reachable by various intellects and various perspectives and that it doesn't profit Christianity to argue about perspectives of the truth if those perspectives are of the truth indeed.
Ch. 19
Augustine asserts all things that exist are created by God and that is something all Christians agree on, even if they don't all believe Augustine's allegorical understanding of the phrase, "heaven and earth", meaning the things unseen, spiritual Creation and the visible, corporeal Creation.
Ch. 20
Augustine relates a number of interpretations of what is meant by, "in the beginning God created Heaven and Earth"
Ch. 21
Augustine relates an number of interpretations of the meaning of the phrase, "the earth was invisible and unformed and darkness was over the abyss"
Ch. 22
Augustine argues that the waters over which the spirit of the Lord hovered cannot be anything unmade; they were made by God though it isn't explicitly written in Genesis
Ch. 23
Augustine makes a distinction between asking what is the truth of the text and what Moses was trying to convey to his audience.
Ch. 24
Augustine argues that the truth of Scripture, "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" is clear and distinct. God created everything. He will firmly hold that truth. All other interpretations of the truth he will consider, but not hold firm as the interpretation is not as clear as the divine revelation.
Ch. 25
The theological arguments should not occur out of pride. When disagreements on interpretation happen, move beyond them and love thy neighbor.
Ch. 26
It's ok to have deeper meanings, further meanings within Scripture as long as they are true meanings.
Ch. 27
People understand more of the Scripture as they grow.
Ch. 28
Some see Scripture no longer as a nest as beginners do, but as a shady thicket harboring fruits deep inside it.
Ch. 29
Augustine explains matter comes before form in a non-sequential way in creation. Matter comes prior to form as a tune is formed simultaneously as the sounds that constitute it. The tune is prior to the sounds because it arranges the notes and the notes form the tune.
Ch. 30
Truth should bring concord, not discord.
The Scriptures were written primarily to minister for the light of truth and to increase the fruitfulness of the readers.
Ch. 31
Augustine argues that Moses knew the deep truths of what he wrote because it was revealed through him.
He also mentions he prefers to give credence to multiple interpretations so as not to exclude any bit of truth.
Ch. 32
Augustine prays for truth and to not be deceived in his understanding of the Truth
Friday, June 10, 2016
A correction of my earlier self
It is interesting in reading some of earlier writings from 2006. It shows how I've changed my mind, what I thought was important then vs. what I consider important now and just an overall development of my thinking process. For example in 2006 I was staunchly beholden to a literal Seven-Day Creationist approach in understanding Genesis. I railed against evolution and was "pained" in an early attempt at apologetics to find that my arguments couldn't rule out evolution. Now, I don't think that evolution and Creation are mutually exclusive and not a vey important part of Christian theology. Likewise, I railed against the ontological argument for the existence of God. Now, I find myself more convinced by it then any other argument for the existence of God. On that however, my twenty-two year old self did admit that he didn't like the ontological argument possibly because he didn't understand it. It's just funny and enlightening to reflect on my past thought process and view it from a point further down the road.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
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.
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.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
365 Day Bible Catch Up (Isaac)
Genesis 25 (starting at verse 19)
-Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah, who was barren. Isaac prayed to God and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. The twins jostled inside of her and Rebekah asked the Lord why this was happening and the Lord explained that two peoples were struggling inside of her and that the older would serve the younger.
-Esau was born first, covered in red hair. Jacob came second grabbing onto the heel of Esau. Esau became a hunter and was loved by Isaac. Jacob was quiet and loved by Rebekah.
-One day Esau came home from a hunt and asked Jacob for some of the stew he was making because he was hungry. Jacob said he'd give him some stew if Esau sold him his birthright. Esau did so "so Esau despised his birthright".
Genesis 26
- During a famine Isaac went down to the land of the Philistines and met with King Abimelech and pulled the old 'my wife is my sister trick' and when Abimelech saw Isaac caressing Rebekah from his window he called Isaac out on his trickery. But, Isaac was blessed by God and became very wealthy until he was envied by the Philistines. Abimelech then told Isaac to move away from them because he had become too powerful.
-After being visited by the Lord, Isaac built an altar to the Lord. Like Lot, Isaac was blessed for the sake of Abraham (Genesis 26:24).
-Like Abimelech had done with Abraham, he came to Isaac with a request of a non-aggression treaty.
-Esau married a couple of Hittite women who were a "source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah"
Genesis 27 - 28:9
- Rebekah devises a plan to have Jacob receive the blessing of Isaac before his death. Jacob dresses up like Esau and steals the blessing. Esau then came in and Isaac realized the deception and has no real blessing for Esau other than when Esau grows restless he will throw the yoke of Jacob off his neck.
- Esau then plotted to kill him. Rebekah plotted to send Jacob to her brother Laban's until Esau was no longer angry. Rebekah went to Isaac and claimed that Esau's wives were driving her into misery. Isaac told Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman but go to Laban's to find a wife.
- When Esau realized how much his Canaanite wives were displeasing to his parents he went to Ishmael and married one of his daughters.
-Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah, who was barren. Isaac prayed to God and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. The twins jostled inside of her and Rebekah asked the Lord why this was happening and the Lord explained that two peoples were struggling inside of her and that the older would serve the younger.
-Esau was born first, covered in red hair. Jacob came second grabbing onto the heel of Esau. Esau became a hunter and was loved by Isaac. Jacob was quiet and loved by Rebekah.
-One day Esau came home from a hunt and asked Jacob for some of the stew he was making because he was hungry. Jacob said he'd give him some stew if Esau sold him his birthright. Esau did so "so Esau despised his birthright".
Genesis 26
- During a famine Isaac went down to the land of the Philistines and met with King Abimelech and pulled the old 'my wife is my sister trick' and when Abimelech saw Isaac caressing Rebekah from his window he called Isaac out on his trickery. But, Isaac was blessed by God and became very wealthy until he was envied by the Philistines. Abimelech then told Isaac to move away from them because he had become too powerful.
-After being visited by the Lord, Isaac built an altar to the Lord. Like Lot, Isaac was blessed for the sake of Abraham (Genesis 26:24).
-Like Abimelech had done with Abraham, he came to Isaac with a request of a non-aggression treaty.
-Esau married a couple of Hittite women who were a "source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah"
Genesis 27 - 28:9
- Rebekah devises a plan to have Jacob receive the blessing of Isaac before his death. Jacob dresses up like Esau and steals the blessing. Esau then came in and Isaac realized the deception and has no real blessing for Esau other than when Esau grows restless he will throw the yoke of Jacob off his neck.
- Esau then plotted to kill him. Rebekah plotted to send Jacob to her brother Laban's until Esau was no longer angry. Rebekah went to Isaac and claimed that Esau's wives were driving her into misery. Isaac told Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman but go to Laban's to find a wife.
- When Esau realized how much his Canaanite wives were displeasing to his parents he went to Ishmael and married one of his daughters.
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.
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.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
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.
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.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
365 Day Bible 3 & 4
Day 3 of the 365 Day Bible (still have some catching up to do).
Genesis 5 - 10
Genesis 5:1-2 reminds us that when God created man He did so in the likeness of God, the Imago Dei. Interestingly here, the NIV says the "likeness of God" and not the "image of God". I wonder what the original text states? I know there are some Christian sects that believe that we were created in the image and likeness of God, but after the Fall we lost the 'likeness' and retained the 'image'.
Adam lived 930 years. Seth lived 912 years. Enosh lived 905 years. Kenan lived 910 years. Mahalalel lived 895 years. Jared lived 962 years.
Enoch lived 365 years and unlike his ancestors, the Bible doesn't say 'and then he died'. It states 5:24 "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away". Is this poetic license? Is it just stating the same thing in a more flowery language? Or is it something else? I don't know.
Methuselah lived 969 years. Lamech lived 777 years. Lamech was the father of Noah.
Noah was the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Genesis 6 has some interesting stuff. First, "the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose" (6:2). "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown" (6:4). What on earth does that mean? Who were the Nephilim?
In spite of the wickedness of man, Noah alone found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was righteous, blameless and walked with God. God decided to wipe out all living things on account of man who had brought violence to the earth. But, God makes a covenant with Noah (this is the first time God makes a covenant in the Old Testament).
Why does God command Noah to take two of every kind of bird in 6:20 and seven of every kind of bird in 7:2?
After the flood the first thing Noah does is to build an altar and sacrifice to God. God then states, "never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood" (8:21). That doesn't exactly paint a very good picture of man - every inclination is evil from childhood. So much for the theory that man is intrinsically good.
God then reminds us of the Imago Dei in a warning not to kill another man - 9:6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man".
God then makes his covenant with Noah never to destroy the earth by a flood and sets the rainbow as a sign to remember that He will remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures of every kind.
Noah then gets drunk and Ham dishonors him, but Japheth and Shem cover him up. Noah curses Ham (the father of Canaan) to be the slave of his brothers. Noah lived 950 years and died.
What are we to do with the ages in this passage? Are we to take literally that men lived nearly a thousand years? What can be the explanation for such longevity?
Matthew 3-4
John the Baptist bursts onto the scene in Matthew 3, calling for repentance. He prophesies about the coming Messiah who will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. He doesn't paint Jesus as a sort of wimpy guy either "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12).
John the Baptist then, after mild protestation, baptizes Jesus. A voice from Heaven declares that Jesus is God's son.
After baptism, Jesus goes into the desert to fast 40 days. After this he is tempted by the devil three times. The thing I have always found the most interesting about this passage is that both use Scripture in their back and forth. Of course one would expect Jesus to quote Scripture, but the devil uses it as well. That's an unsettling thought.
Just like John the Baptist, Jesus begins to preach calling for repentance. Jesus then calls his first four disciples Simon-Peter, Andrew, James and John (the sons of Zebedee). Jesus then begins his ministry by preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing the sick. People flocked to him from all over and brought their sick to be healed.
Psalms 3-4
Psalm 3 is one of those Psalms that has a difficult verse in it. "Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked" (Psalms 3:7). Not exactly one of those verses that makes God seem like the great redeemer He is. It's hard to reconcile the love of God with what David is calling on God to do. But, just as we saw in Matthew 3, Jesus who is healing the sick just one chapter later is being prophesied as standing with the winnowing fork ready to store up his wheat in the barn and burn the chaff forever in an unquenchable fire.
But there are two verses that really stick out to me in Psalm 3. Psalm 3:5 "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me". Even something so simple as waking up is worthy of praising God, because He sustains us. Psalm 3:8 "From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people". David, for all intents and purposes is one of the most renowned warriors in the Bible, but he sees the Lord as his deliverance, not his own strength or might.
Psalm 4 also shows David seeing God as his safety. But, the verse in Psalm 4 that strikes me the most is verse 4. "In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent". Hear my prayer God, help me to search my heart so that I do not sin in anger.
Proverbs 1:10-23
Again we see a warning against sin - 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them". Again we see repentance and what it does for a man. 1:23 "If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you".
Genesis 5 - 10
Genesis 5:1-2 reminds us that when God created man He did so in the likeness of God, the Imago Dei. Interestingly here, the NIV says the "likeness of God" and not the "image of God". I wonder what the original text states? I know there are some Christian sects that believe that we were created in the image and likeness of God, but after the Fall we lost the 'likeness' and retained the 'image'.
Adam lived 930 years. Seth lived 912 years. Enosh lived 905 years. Kenan lived 910 years. Mahalalel lived 895 years. Jared lived 962 years.
Enoch lived 365 years and unlike his ancestors, the Bible doesn't say 'and then he died'. It states 5:24 "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away". Is this poetic license? Is it just stating the same thing in a more flowery language? Or is it something else? I don't know.
Methuselah lived 969 years. Lamech lived 777 years. Lamech was the father of Noah.
Noah was the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Genesis 6 has some interesting stuff. First, "the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose" (6:2). "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown" (6:4). What on earth does that mean? Who were the Nephilim?
In spite of the wickedness of man, Noah alone found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was righteous, blameless and walked with God. God decided to wipe out all living things on account of man who had brought violence to the earth. But, God makes a covenant with Noah (this is the first time God makes a covenant in the Old Testament).
Why does God command Noah to take two of every kind of bird in 6:20 and seven of every kind of bird in 7:2?
After the flood the first thing Noah does is to build an altar and sacrifice to God. God then states, "never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood" (8:21). That doesn't exactly paint a very good picture of man - every inclination is evil from childhood. So much for the theory that man is intrinsically good.
God then reminds us of the Imago Dei in a warning not to kill another man - 9:6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man".
God then makes his covenant with Noah never to destroy the earth by a flood and sets the rainbow as a sign to remember that He will remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures of every kind.
Noah then gets drunk and Ham dishonors him, but Japheth and Shem cover him up. Noah curses Ham (the father of Canaan) to be the slave of his brothers. Noah lived 950 years and died.
What are we to do with the ages in this passage? Are we to take literally that men lived nearly a thousand years? What can be the explanation for such longevity?
Matthew 3-4
John the Baptist bursts onto the scene in Matthew 3, calling for repentance. He prophesies about the coming Messiah who will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. He doesn't paint Jesus as a sort of wimpy guy either "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12).
John the Baptist then, after mild protestation, baptizes Jesus. A voice from Heaven declares that Jesus is God's son.
After baptism, Jesus goes into the desert to fast 40 days. After this he is tempted by the devil three times. The thing I have always found the most interesting about this passage is that both use Scripture in their back and forth. Of course one would expect Jesus to quote Scripture, but the devil uses it as well. That's an unsettling thought.
Just like John the Baptist, Jesus begins to preach calling for repentance. Jesus then calls his first four disciples Simon-Peter, Andrew, James and John (the sons of Zebedee). Jesus then begins his ministry by preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing the sick. People flocked to him from all over and brought their sick to be healed.
Psalms 3-4
Psalm 3 is one of those Psalms that has a difficult verse in it. "Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked" (Psalms 3:7). Not exactly one of those verses that makes God seem like the great redeemer He is. It's hard to reconcile the love of God with what David is calling on God to do. But, just as we saw in Matthew 3, Jesus who is healing the sick just one chapter later is being prophesied as standing with the winnowing fork ready to store up his wheat in the barn and burn the chaff forever in an unquenchable fire.
But there are two verses that really stick out to me in Psalm 3. Psalm 3:5 "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me". Even something so simple as waking up is worthy of praising God, because He sustains us. Psalm 3:8 "From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people". David, for all intents and purposes is one of the most renowned warriors in the Bible, but he sees the Lord as his deliverance, not his own strength or might.
Psalm 4 also shows David seeing God as his safety. But, the verse in Psalm 4 that strikes me the most is verse 4. "In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent". Hear my prayer God, help me to search my heart so that I do not sin in anger.
Proverbs 1:10-23
Again we see a warning against sin - 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them". Again we see repentance and what it does for a man. 1:23 "If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you".
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
365 Day Bible Day 2
Day 2 (still playing catch-up)
Genesis 3-4
The Fall of Man in Genesis 3- Why did God make the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Why did God make the Tree of Life? Genesis 3 offers us the first look of the Problem of Evil in Scriptures. Why was the serpent crafty? Why did he defy God? Why did Eve mis-remember or lie about the tree in the middle of the garden and embellish what God had said? Eve, even in that innocent state at the least erred, if not fibbed. Who is to blame for the fall of man?
Was it God for setting Adam and Eve up to fail? Was it the serpent for seducing Eve? Was it Eve for eating the apple and seducing Adam? Was it Adam to succumbing to Eve and eating the apple? It just occurred to me, though I've probably thought of it before or so I'm not mis-remembering or fibbing, it's probably more accurate to state that it has been pointed out to me before that the problem of free will and the problem of evil are intricately related.
Why did God create the universe in the way He did? We may posit guesses, theories and plausible scenarios, but our answers will only reach probability standards and internally consistency. The fact of the matter is that the world is as it is because God created it as such (allowing a transcendental argument that presupposes that the Christian God did create the world, that I have no personal qualms with accepting on various levels that I'll not go into at the moment). But, as for the creation of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (whether this is a literal or metaphorical creation, a topic for another discussion) demands that God created the world as such to involve Free Will. Thus, sin, though not inevitable, is at least possible in the world that God created. The Problem of Evil comes about because we ask who is the author of evil. In a world that is created by God where evil is at least possible don't we have to accept that God is the ultimate author of evil? I tend to lean towards St. Augustine's way of dealing with the existence of evil as I sort of had a eureka moment when I learned of his theory. Evil is not something that exists independently and is really only the diminishing of the good. Thus, God who cannot be diminished at all can never be evil. Thus, we can rule God out as the author of evil.
But, we needn't get too deep into this as it really doesn't concern Genesis 3 only that it absolves God from any guilt in the scenario. God shows whose to blame as he doles out punishment. The serpent is cursed. The woman has her pain in childbearing greatly increased and Adam and the ground is cursed because of his role in the event.
Even after punishment though God takes care of Adam & Eve making them garments of skin.
Cain and Abel are then born to Adam and Eve in exile from the Garden. Cain offered "some" of his fruits and Abel offered "fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock". The Lord looked on Abel with favor for his offering, but not on Cain. Cain became angry. Then God says something interesting, combining a comforting and a warning - "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it".
That verse, 4:7 strikes some fear in me. I can vividly picture sin crouching at my door seeking to have me. Lord, help me master it.
Cain kills Abel and is cursed by God, but once again God even punishment doesn't totally destroy Cain, marking him so that nobody kills him.
This is where I start to get intrigued and thinking about the whole Adam & Eve and Cain & Abel and why is Cain scared stating, "I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me". If Adam & Eve are the first people and Cain and Abel their first children, and now that Abel is dead, who is Cain afraid of coming across when he is wandering? Who is his wife that he lay with in the next verse? Now I guess is as good of a place as any for me to posit my working and probably incredibly inaccurate thoughts on Creation, Adam & Eve and who the heck Cain is scared of.
First, with regard to the Genesis account of Creation and its literal/metaphorical interpretation. Actually, let's back up a second before I go into this. Firstly, anything and everything in Scriptures is relevant to our daily walk with God. But, if it doesn't deny the salvation through Jesus Christ or anything heretical about the nature of God, I think a debate can be had on certain things - one of which is Creation. Secondly, as long as there is no disagreement on how one is redeemed, which is through Jesus Christ and acceptance of Him as one's Lord and Savior, and on the Triune God of Christianity being the sole God, one can be called a Christian. I am sure that when I get to Heaven I will be surprised who I see and who I don't see. God's redemptive powers are greater than my conception of them. Lastly, I do not think it to be edifying the faithful or a good look to the un-believing for Christians to come to blows, literal or metaphorical about things related to faith. Where there is disagreement, let there be discussion unless discussion leads to heresy or disharmony. If there are in those rare spots places where Christians can disagree on points of theology that are not related to Christ, his redeeming ways or on the Trinity then let us simply do good works to show our faith. But when it comes to Creation, I am not a literalist. I don't think we can take the Biblical account of Genesis 1-2 and turn it into a scientific treatise because that is not what it was intended to be.
As for my take on Creation, I see no reason why a Darwinian account of evolution is incompatible with a Scriptural worldview. I see this because I don't think the Bible is a scientific textbook. Now, Darwinian evolution has the power to describe the process of how the earth came into being, but not the why or the intent of creation. I believe that when God set into motion the events of creation that would eventually lead to this point and to the final point in history, He did so in the full knowledge of the fall of man and that his creation act included the two seminal points in redeeming man - the crucifixion/resurrection of Jesus Christ and the second coming. They were woven into the fabric of creation because he had foreknowledge that man would fall and in the ultimate act of love and sacrifice he chose to create and redeem nonetheless. Why did God create in such a way that included Free Will? Again, this is one of those questions we can only posit theories to that approximate internal consistency because we cannot know the full mind of God.
Now, we come to Adam and Eve and some of the differences between Genesis 1 and 2. I think at some point in the distant past, when man was emerging out of East Africa, God chose, much in the way he chose Abraham, a certain man and placed him in the Garden to fulfill the purpose which God had set for man at the onset of creation - "to fill the earth and subdue it, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Genesis 1:28). Through Adam naming the creatures of the garden, God gave him dominion over those in the garden. While I don't take creation as literal, I take the Garden of Eden and Adam as literal, as well as Eve being formed for Adam by God specifically as literal, historical events.
Now comes the question of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life and the serpent. This I vacillate back and forth on. On the one hand, if God set up a guard at the entrance to the Garden so that Adam & Eve couldn't return to the garden it would suggest that both trees are literal. But, on the other hand, the sin/fall of man could very well have been Adam & Eve exercising their free will in a way that resulted in sin and the story could be metaphorical and just Adam & Eve choosing to live their way instead of God's way. I'm not sure - to be honest, I'm not really sure about any of this; it's just my personal thoughts.
Cain & Abel is most definitely now entering a literal phase. I think that once Adam & Eve have been banished from paradise they are aware of other people throughout their little corner of the world. Cain being banished from his home territory would mean coming across other groups of humans who might not be overly receptive to someone wandering into their territory where they hunt and gather. Why do I think that Adam & Eve and their sons knew of other human beings in the vicinity of them? The wife of Cain, without the Biblical mention of Adam & Eve having a daughter makes me think that Cain (and probably Abel) acquired a wife from another band of humans in the general vicinity to where Adam & Eve were living. But, this could all be wrong. Lord, I pray for two things. First, that I don't get to caught up in intellectualizing your Word and thus, not gleaning the eternal truths from it by drowning out your voice. Second, that I don't lead myself or anyone else astray from you in thinking or writing these things.
To finish up today's reading in Genesis I have two things that puzzle me
1) Lamech. What is Lamech saying when he makes his declaration to his two wives?
2) Adam & Eve's third son Seth has a son called Enosh: "At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord". What does that mean? The Lord spoke to Adam & Eve, and to Cain (presumably to Abel). But had the fall caused enough rift that the Lord was pulling back and so the roles reversed to where man was beginning to call on the name of the Lord instead of the other way around?
Matthew 3
John the Baptist was baptizing and preaching in the desert and drawing crowds. He chastised the Pharisees and the Sadducees who seemed to be relying on their heritage as descendants of Abraham for salvation. "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (3:8) he warned them, continuing "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire" (3:10).
Lord, hear my prayer - Help me to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. I repent of my sins and yet I am bearing no fruit. I continue to go to my sins often, even after repenting. I repent again. Help me to bear fruit.
The first words of Jesus in the New Testament come from Matthew 3:15 "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness". While the formation of the Scriptures as it is now may not be chronological in the order that events happened or were even recorded, I find it interesting to English readers of the Scriptures that Jesus' first words are essentially 'let's do it to fulfill all righteousness'. With that John the Baptist baptizes Jesus and God declares from Heaven who Jesus is - "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased". Righteousness pleases God.
Psalm 2
2:11 - "Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling"
2:12b - "Blessed are all who take refuge in him"
Lord, may I serve you and rejoice you and take refuge in you.
Proverbs 1:7-9
1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
Lord, let this be yet another beginning of knowledge. Teach me not to despise your discipline. Hear my prayer Lord.
Genesis 3-4
The Fall of Man in Genesis 3- Why did God make the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Why did God make the Tree of Life? Genesis 3 offers us the first look of the Problem of Evil in Scriptures. Why was the serpent crafty? Why did he defy God? Why did Eve mis-remember or lie about the tree in the middle of the garden and embellish what God had said? Eve, even in that innocent state at the least erred, if not fibbed. Who is to blame for the fall of man?
Was it God for setting Adam and Eve up to fail? Was it the serpent for seducing Eve? Was it Eve for eating the apple and seducing Adam? Was it Adam to succumbing to Eve and eating the apple? It just occurred to me, though I've probably thought of it before or so I'm not mis-remembering or fibbing, it's probably more accurate to state that it has been pointed out to me before that the problem of free will and the problem of evil are intricately related.
Why did God create the universe in the way He did? We may posit guesses, theories and plausible scenarios, but our answers will only reach probability standards and internally consistency. The fact of the matter is that the world is as it is because God created it as such (allowing a transcendental argument that presupposes that the Christian God did create the world, that I have no personal qualms with accepting on various levels that I'll not go into at the moment). But, as for the creation of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (whether this is a literal or metaphorical creation, a topic for another discussion) demands that God created the world as such to involve Free Will. Thus, sin, though not inevitable, is at least possible in the world that God created. The Problem of Evil comes about because we ask who is the author of evil. In a world that is created by God where evil is at least possible don't we have to accept that God is the ultimate author of evil? I tend to lean towards St. Augustine's way of dealing with the existence of evil as I sort of had a eureka moment when I learned of his theory. Evil is not something that exists independently and is really only the diminishing of the good. Thus, God who cannot be diminished at all can never be evil. Thus, we can rule God out as the author of evil.
But, we needn't get too deep into this as it really doesn't concern Genesis 3 only that it absolves God from any guilt in the scenario. God shows whose to blame as he doles out punishment. The serpent is cursed. The woman has her pain in childbearing greatly increased and Adam and the ground is cursed because of his role in the event.
Even after punishment though God takes care of Adam & Eve making them garments of skin.
Cain and Abel are then born to Adam and Eve in exile from the Garden. Cain offered "some" of his fruits and Abel offered "fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock". The Lord looked on Abel with favor for his offering, but not on Cain. Cain became angry. Then God says something interesting, combining a comforting and a warning - "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it".
That verse, 4:7 strikes some fear in me. I can vividly picture sin crouching at my door seeking to have me. Lord, help me master it.
Cain kills Abel and is cursed by God, but once again God even punishment doesn't totally destroy Cain, marking him so that nobody kills him.
This is where I start to get intrigued and thinking about the whole Adam & Eve and Cain & Abel and why is Cain scared stating, "I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me". If Adam & Eve are the first people and Cain and Abel their first children, and now that Abel is dead, who is Cain afraid of coming across when he is wandering? Who is his wife that he lay with in the next verse? Now I guess is as good of a place as any for me to posit my working and probably incredibly inaccurate thoughts on Creation, Adam & Eve and who the heck Cain is scared of.
First, with regard to the Genesis account of Creation and its literal/metaphorical interpretation. Actually, let's back up a second before I go into this. Firstly, anything and everything in Scriptures is relevant to our daily walk with God. But, if it doesn't deny the salvation through Jesus Christ or anything heretical about the nature of God, I think a debate can be had on certain things - one of which is Creation. Secondly, as long as there is no disagreement on how one is redeemed, which is through Jesus Christ and acceptance of Him as one's Lord and Savior, and on the Triune God of Christianity being the sole God, one can be called a Christian. I am sure that when I get to Heaven I will be surprised who I see and who I don't see. God's redemptive powers are greater than my conception of them. Lastly, I do not think it to be edifying the faithful or a good look to the un-believing for Christians to come to blows, literal or metaphorical about things related to faith. Where there is disagreement, let there be discussion unless discussion leads to heresy or disharmony. If there are in those rare spots places where Christians can disagree on points of theology that are not related to Christ, his redeeming ways or on the Trinity then let us simply do good works to show our faith. But when it comes to Creation, I am not a literalist. I don't think we can take the Biblical account of Genesis 1-2 and turn it into a scientific treatise because that is not what it was intended to be.
As for my take on Creation, I see no reason why a Darwinian account of evolution is incompatible with a Scriptural worldview. I see this because I don't think the Bible is a scientific textbook. Now, Darwinian evolution has the power to describe the process of how the earth came into being, but not the why or the intent of creation. I believe that when God set into motion the events of creation that would eventually lead to this point and to the final point in history, He did so in the full knowledge of the fall of man and that his creation act included the two seminal points in redeeming man - the crucifixion/resurrection of Jesus Christ and the second coming. They were woven into the fabric of creation because he had foreknowledge that man would fall and in the ultimate act of love and sacrifice he chose to create and redeem nonetheless. Why did God create in such a way that included Free Will? Again, this is one of those questions we can only posit theories to that approximate internal consistency because we cannot know the full mind of God.
Now, we come to Adam and Eve and some of the differences between Genesis 1 and 2. I think at some point in the distant past, when man was emerging out of East Africa, God chose, much in the way he chose Abraham, a certain man and placed him in the Garden to fulfill the purpose which God had set for man at the onset of creation - "to fill the earth and subdue it, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Genesis 1:28). Through Adam naming the creatures of the garden, God gave him dominion over those in the garden. While I don't take creation as literal, I take the Garden of Eden and Adam as literal, as well as Eve being formed for Adam by God specifically as literal, historical events.
Now comes the question of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life and the serpent. This I vacillate back and forth on. On the one hand, if God set up a guard at the entrance to the Garden so that Adam & Eve couldn't return to the garden it would suggest that both trees are literal. But, on the other hand, the sin/fall of man could very well have been Adam & Eve exercising their free will in a way that resulted in sin and the story could be metaphorical and just Adam & Eve choosing to live their way instead of God's way. I'm not sure - to be honest, I'm not really sure about any of this; it's just my personal thoughts.
Cain & Abel is most definitely now entering a literal phase. I think that once Adam & Eve have been banished from paradise they are aware of other people throughout their little corner of the world. Cain being banished from his home territory would mean coming across other groups of humans who might not be overly receptive to someone wandering into their territory where they hunt and gather. Why do I think that Adam & Eve and their sons knew of other human beings in the vicinity of them? The wife of Cain, without the Biblical mention of Adam & Eve having a daughter makes me think that Cain (and probably Abel) acquired a wife from another band of humans in the general vicinity to where Adam & Eve were living. But, this could all be wrong. Lord, I pray for two things. First, that I don't get to caught up in intellectualizing your Word and thus, not gleaning the eternal truths from it by drowning out your voice. Second, that I don't lead myself or anyone else astray from you in thinking or writing these things.
To finish up today's reading in Genesis I have two things that puzzle me
1) Lamech. What is Lamech saying when he makes his declaration to his two wives?
2) Adam & Eve's third son Seth has a son called Enosh: "At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord". What does that mean? The Lord spoke to Adam & Eve, and to Cain (presumably to Abel). But had the fall caused enough rift that the Lord was pulling back and so the roles reversed to where man was beginning to call on the name of the Lord instead of the other way around?
Matthew 3
John the Baptist was baptizing and preaching in the desert and drawing crowds. He chastised the Pharisees and the Sadducees who seemed to be relying on their heritage as descendants of Abraham for salvation. "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (3:8) he warned them, continuing "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire" (3:10).
Lord, hear my prayer - Help me to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. I repent of my sins and yet I am bearing no fruit. I continue to go to my sins often, even after repenting. I repent again. Help me to bear fruit.
The first words of Jesus in the New Testament come from Matthew 3:15 "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness". While the formation of the Scriptures as it is now may not be chronological in the order that events happened or were even recorded, I find it interesting to English readers of the Scriptures that Jesus' first words are essentially 'let's do it to fulfill all righteousness'. With that John the Baptist baptizes Jesus and God declares from Heaven who Jesus is - "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased". Righteousness pleases God.
Psalm 2
2:11 - "Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling"
2:12b - "Blessed are all who take refuge in him"
Lord, may I serve you and rejoice you and take refuge in you.
Proverbs 1:7-9
1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
Lord, let this be yet another beginning of knowledge. Teach me not to despise your discipline. Hear my prayer Lord.
365 Day Bible Day 1
Day 1 of the 365 day Bible reading (of course it's Day 12 of the year, but I'm a procrastinator).
Genesis 1-2
When God creates the sea creatures and the birds, he blesses them and says "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth". When God creates the land creatures he says its good. When he creates man "in our image" he does so to "let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground". He gave man a duty and a purpose in the act of creation.
1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them". Why does the author repeat God created man three times in a single phrase? What is the significance of the repetition?
After creating man for a purpose, he blesses them and gives them every seed-bearing plant as food.
God rested on the seventh day and made it holy - he set it apart for rest.
The creation of man coincided with him placing man in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
God named the "day" and the "night", the "sky", the "land" and the "seas, but Adam named all the animals. Is this significant? I remember vaguely from a college class that naming something in Hebrew culture gave ownership or stewardship, but is that true? I mean, it would make sense as man was created to work and subdue the earth.
Matthew 1-2
Mary was found to be pregnant with Jesus before being married by the Holy Spirit. Is this the first time that the Holy Spirit is mentioned specifically in the Bible?
Joseph became aware of this and was going to break it off with Mary, but an angel came to him and explained the situation. That would be an odd one to experience.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the Magi came to see him. They stopped in Jerusalem to find where the one who was to be the king of the Jews was born. They avoided going back through Jerusalem though because of King Herod.
Joseph is again visited by an angel, telling him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because King Herod was going to try and kill Jesus. Joseph is once again visited by an angel and told that it was safe to return to Israel now that King Herod was dead.
Psalm 1
1:1-2 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night". This is my prayer Lord, help me to delight in your law and meditate on it day and night.
Proverbs 1:1-6
The purpose of the Proverbs:
-to attain wisdom and discipline
-to understand words of insight
-to acquire a disciplined and prudent life
-to do what is right and just and fair
I need the Proverbs probably more than most things right now. I need to acquire a disciplined and prudent life. Help me Lord to achieve this end.
Genesis 1-2
When God creates the sea creatures and the birds, he blesses them and says "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth". When God creates the land creatures he says its good. When he creates man "in our image" he does so to "let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground". He gave man a duty and a purpose in the act of creation.
1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them". Why does the author repeat God created man three times in a single phrase? What is the significance of the repetition?
After creating man for a purpose, he blesses them and gives them every seed-bearing plant as food.
God rested on the seventh day and made it holy - he set it apart for rest.
The creation of man coincided with him placing man in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
God named the "day" and the "night", the "sky", the "land" and the "seas, but Adam named all the animals. Is this significant? I remember vaguely from a college class that naming something in Hebrew culture gave ownership or stewardship, but is that true? I mean, it would make sense as man was created to work and subdue the earth.
Matthew 1-2
Mary was found to be pregnant with Jesus before being married by the Holy Spirit. Is this the first time that the Holy Spirit is mentioned specifically in the Bible?
Joseph became aware of this and was going to break it off with Mary, but an angel came to him and explained the situation. That would be an odd one to experience.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the Magi came to see him. They stopped in Jerusalem to find where the one who was to be the king of the Jews was born. They avoided going back through Jerusalem though because of King Herod.
Joseph is again visited by an angel, telling him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because King Herod was going to try and kill Jesus. Joseph is once again visited by an angel and told that it was safe to return to Israel now that King Herod was dead.
Psalm 1
1:1-2 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night". This is my prayer Lord, help me to delight in your law and meditate on it day and night.
Proverbs 1:1-6
The purpose of the Proverbs:
-to attain wisdom and discipline
-to understand words of insight
-to acquire a disciplined and prudent life
-to do what is right and just and fair
I need the Proverbs probably more than most things right now. I need to acquire a disciplined and prudent life. Help me Lord to achieve this end.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
The Atomists: Leucippus & Democritus
History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell
1972
Chapter IX - The Atomists
Leucippus
-circa 440 BC
-influenced by Parmenides & Zeno
-questionable/shadowy historical figure
Democritus
-circa 420 BC
-much more concrete of an historical figure than Democritus
-from Thrace
-Contemporary of Socrates
Atomism was an attempted solution and synthesis of monism and pluralism
Everything is composed of indestructible atoms. The atoms are in constant motion, with the first motion seeming to have been a random motion. The collisions of the atoms formed vortices and then created the physical-visible world.
Atomists were strict determinists - everything happened in accordance with natural laws. There was no chance in their system, despite that being the most common argument leveled against them in the ancient world.
"The atomists, unlike Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, sought to explain the world without introducing the notion of purpose or final cause" (Russell 66-67).
As an aside, Russell makes an interesting point about causation on page 67. He points out that both teleology and pure mechanical causation systems can only be applied within reality and not to reality as a whole. If either are applied to reality as a whole they end with an infinite regress or at some arbitrary beginning of reality. While, he is his normal harsh self to those who might have a bent toward teleology his words make me think. "But if a man is so obstinately teleological as to continue to ask what purpose is served by the Creator, it becomes obvious that his question is impious. It is, moreover, unmeaning, since, to make it significant, we should have to suppose the Creator created by some super-Creator whose purposes He served" (Russell, 67). That made me think of two things: first, the religions of the ancient world who believed in a dualism that had a benevolent and a malevolent creator. But, also the relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son in authoring and completing creation. Allow me a moment to slip into some thought without taking this as my definitive belief as to regards the nature of creation.
Genesis 1:26 always made me pause when I read it and thought about the radical notion of monotheism often associated with the ancient Hebrews. Why would a radically monotheistic religion write of God saying "Let us make man in our image"? Of course, it could be like the 'royal we', but then when paired with John 1 it makes sense in a trinitarian understanding. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:1-4). When reading that little paragraph from Russell I suddenly saw that even Russell's logic is binding and correct we have creator and Super-Creator whose purposes He served. What does Christ teach throughout His ministry on earth? That He is doing the will of the Father. If the Father created all things through Christ (the Word) and nothing was made without Christ (the Word) then it stands that the teleological underpinnings are at least internally consistent. But, I digress and return to the pre-Socratic matter at hand, the Atomists.
Leucippus was a thinker of his time - he was concerned with the seemingly irrefutable arguments of Parmenides and the obvious fact that motion occurred. To the Greek thought one had to accept that Parmenides was right and no motion occurred or there had to be a void for motion to occur in. To combine Monism and Pluralism he added the void in which motion could occur. Aristotle sums his theory up nicely "The many move in the void (for there is a void): and by coming together they produce coming-to-be, while by separating they produce passing-away" (Russell, 68-69).
Even the Atomists had to admit though that Parmenides' arguments against the void were logically inscrutable. Parmenides would say that if there is a void than there is a void and that void is not nothing because even in nothing there is air; thus there is no void and motion is impossible. This mixture of logic and empirical observation caused a lot of problems in Greek thought and the Atomists simply chose to ignore the argument and state basically that there is motion and thus, a void, even if we can't quite put our fingers on it.
FUTURE MODERN ANCIENT GREEKS
In essence, Democritus claimed each atom was a Parmenidean One, indivisible and indestructible, never changing. Atoms collide to create everything. "There are many worlds, some growing, some decaying; some may have no sun or moon, some several. Every world has a beginning and an end. A world may be destroyed by collision with a larger world" (Russell, 71-71).\
-Life came from the primeval slime
-there is some fire in every living thing, but most in the brain or the breast
-thought is a kind of motion (and thus can cause motion elsewhere)
"Like Locke, Democritus held that such qualities as warmth, taste, and colour are not really in the object, but are due to our sense-organs, while such qualities as weight, density and hardness are really in the object" (Russell, 72)
-Democritus denied an immaterial soul (it was made of atoms), denied purpose in the universe, and didn't believe in the popular religion of the time.
Early Greek Philosophy
Jonathan Barnes
2001
Chapter 20 - Leucippus
-It is nearly impossible to separate the teachings of Leucippus from his pupil, Democritus
-possibly from Elea or Miletus
The one quote that is readily attributed to him is "No thing happens in vain, but all things for a reason and by necessity" (Barnes, 202). This shows the determinist nature of his thought.
Chapter 21 - Democritus
"He was the most prolific, and ultimately the most influential, of the Presocratic philosophers" (Barnes, 203). This is impressive because not a single of his writings have survived intact and much of his work is fragmented.
Future Modern Ancient Greeks
"Some suppose that the strange things which happen in the world gave us the conception of the gods. Democritus seems to be of this opinion; for he says that men in the distant past, remarking the events of the upper air- thunder and lightning, thunderbotls and conjunctions of stars, and eclipses of sun and moon - were frightened, thinking gods to be their cause - Sextus Empiricus" (Barnes, 220).
Life after death: "Many of the old thinkers, among them the natural scientist Democritus in his writings about Hades, have collected stories of those who are thought to have died and then come to life again - Proclus (Barnes, 222).
"
Really, I tend to ask,,, Is joy and absence of joy "the boundary advantage and disadvantage" (Barnes. 227).
Porphyry makes him out to be a vegetarian, not eating flesh by necessity but being pious. Those that are living badly, unwisely and un-piously aren't actually living, but dying slowly.
A quote: " Do not be eager to know everything lest you become ignorant of everything" (Barnes, 230) - probably good advice from Democritus to me...
In his ethical work he points out that "from the same sources from which good things come to us we may also draw bad" and that "for men, bad things spring from good when they do not know how to manage the good or to preserve them resourcefully".
His ethics had its end in contentment and joy - "It is best for a man to live his life with as much contentment and as little grief as possible; this will come about if he does not take his pleasure in mortal things" (Barnes, 233).
His ethics have an ascetic tone - "Desire for money, if it is not limited by satiety, is far heavier than extreme poverty; for greater desires create greater needs" (Barnes, 237). "It is fitting for men to take account of their souls rather than of their bodies; for a perfect soul corrects wickedness of body, but strength of body without reasoning makes the soul no better at all" (Barnes, 249). But, he isn't totally ascetic - "A life without a feast is a long road without an inn" (Barnes, 238). He seems to be of the mind, moderation is the best way to happiness and that happiness is a state of mind you can choose. "Fortunate is he who is content with moderate goods, unfortunate he who is discontent with many" (Barnes, 247).
In a funny quote that sums up every man from every generation he says, "More men are good by practice than by nature" (Barnes, 240).
"When bad men gain office, the more unworthy they are the more heedless they become and the more they are filled with folly and rashness" (Barnes, 242). Is Democritus anticipating Trump????? Of course he is, because he states, ""anyone who kills any highwayman or pirate is not punishable, whether he does it by his own hand, by issuing an order or by casting a vote" (Barnes, 243). Anticipation is key, homies! Hence he says, "It is hard to be ruled by an inferior"! Amen brother,
Democritus' ethic was ruled by personal shame - feel shame before others and do wrong no more before others than before yourself, your shame should keep you from doing wrong.
His social ethics are interesting and strangely corresponding to Christ's view of wealth. He doesn't rail against acquiring wealth or condemn being wealthy, much like Christ's view. They both simply claim that the love of wealth interferes with the life you ought to live. While Democritus and Christ differ on what that life is, they both agree money ain't everything. "A man enslaved to money will never be just" (Barnes, 249).
Bertrand Russell
1972
Chapter IX - The Atomists
Leucippus
-circa 440 BC
-influenced by Parmenides & Zeno
-questionable/shadowy historical figure
Democritus
-circa 420 BC
-much more concrete of an historical figure than Democritus
-from Thrace
-Contemporary of Socrates
Atomism was an attempted solution and synthesis of monism and pluralism
Everything is composed of indestructible atoms. The atoms are in constant motion, with the first motion seeming to have been a random motion. The collisions of the atoms formed vortices and then created the physical-visible world.
Atomists were strict determinists - everything happened in accordance with natural laws. There was no chance in their system, despite that being the most common argument leveled against them in the ancient world.
"The atomists, unlike Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, sought to explain the world without introducing the notion of purpose or final cause" (Russell 66-67).
As an aside, Russell makes an interesting point about causation on page 67. He points out that both teleology and pure mechanical causation systems can only be applied within reality and not to reality as a whole. If either are applied to reality as a whole they end with an infinite regress or at some arbitrary beginning of reality. While, he is his normal harsh self to those who might have a bent toward teleology his words make me think. "But if a man is so obstinately teleological as to continue to ask what purpose is served by the Creator, it becomes obvious that his question is impious. It is, moreover, unmeaning, since, to make it significant, we should have to suppose the Creator created by some super-Creator whose purposes He served" (Russell, 67). That made me think of two things: first, the religions of the ancient world who believed in a dualism that had a benevolent and a malevolent creator. But, also the relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son in authoring and completing creation. Allow me a moment to slip into some thought without taking this as my definitive belief as to regards the nature of creation.
Genesis 1:26 always made me pause when I read it and thought about the radical notion of monotheism often associated with the ancient Hebrews. Why would a radically monotheistic religion write of God saying "Let us make man in our image"? Of course, it could be like the 'royal we', but then when paired with John 1 it makes sense in a trinitarian understanding. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:1-4). When reading that little paragraph from Russell I suddenly saw that even Russell's logic is binding and correct we have creator and Super-Creator whose purposes He served. What does Christ teach throughout His ministry on earth? That He is doing the will of the Father. If the Father created all things through Christ (the Word) and nothing was made without Christ (the Word) then it stands that the teleological underpinnings are at least internally consistent. But, I digress and return to the pre-Socratic matter at hand, the Atomists.
Leucippus was a thinker of his time - he was concerned with the seemingly irrefutable arguments of Parmenides and the obvious fact that motion occurred. To the Greek thought one had to accept that Parmenides was right and no motion occurred or there had to be a void for motion to occur in. To combine Monism and Pluralism he added the void in which motion could occur. Aristotle sums his theory up nicely "The many move in the void (for there is a void): and by coming together they produce coming-to-be, while by separating they produce passing-away" (Russell, 68-69).
Even the Atomists had to admit though that Parmenides' arguments against the void were logically inscrutable. Parmenides would say that if there is a void than there is a void and that void is not nothing because even in nothing there is air; thus there is no void and motion is impossible. This mixture of logic and empirical observation caused a lot of problems in Greek thought and the Atomists simply chose to ignore the argument and state basically that there is motion and thus, a void, even if we can't quite put our fingers on it.
FUTURE MODERN ANCIENT GREEKS
In essence, Democritus claimed each atom was a Parmenidean One, indivisible and indestructible, never changing. Atoms collide to create everything. "There are many worlds, some growing, some decaying; some may have no sun or moon, some several. Every world has a beginning and an end. A world may be destroyed by collision with a larger world" (Russell, 71-71).\
-Life came from the primeval slime
-there is some fire in every living thing, but most in the brain or the breast
-thought is a kind of motion (and thus can cause motion elsewhere)
"Like Locke, Democritus held that such qualities as warmth, taste, and colour are not really in the object, but are due to our sense-organs, while such qualities as weight, density and hardness are really in the object" (Russell, 72)
-Democritus denied an immaterial soul (it was made of atoms), denied purpose in the universe, and didn't believe in the popular religion of the time.
Early Greek Philosophy
Jonathan Barnes
2001
Chapter 20 - Leucippus
-It is nearly impossible to separate the teachings of Leucippus from his pupil, Democritus
-possibly from Elea or Miletus
The one quote that is readily attributed to him is "No thing happens in vain, but all things for a reason and by necessity" (Barnes, 202). This shows the determinist nature of his thought.
Chapter 21 - Democritus
"He was the most prolific, and ultimately the most influential, of the Presocratic philosophers" (Barnes, 203). This is impressive because not a single of his writings have survived intact and much of his work is fragmented.
Future Modern Ancient Greeks
"Some suppose that the strange things which happen in the world gave us the conception of the gods. Democritus seems to be of this opinion; for he says that men in the distant past, remarking the events of the upper air- thunder and lightning, thunderbotls and conjunctions of stars, and eclipses of sun and moon - were frightened, thinking gods to be their cause - Sextus Empiricus" (Barnes, 220).
Life after death: "Many of the old thinkers, among them the natural scientist Democritus in his writings about Hades, have collected stories of those who are thought to have died and then come to life again - Proclus (Barnes, 222).
"
Really, I tend to ask,,, Is joy and absence of joy "the boundary advantage and disadvantage" (Barnes. 227).
Porphyry makes him out to be a vegetarian, not eating flesh by necessity but being pious. Those that are living badly, unwisely and un-piously aren't actually living, but dying slowly.
A quote: " Do not be eager to know everything lest you become ignorant of everything" (Barnes, 230) - probably good advice from Democritus to me...
In his ethical work he points out that "from the same sources from which good things come to us we may also draw bad" and that "for men, bad things spring from good when they do not know how to manage the good or to preserve them resourcefully".
His ethics had its end in contentment and joy - "It is best for a man to live his life with as much contentment and as little grief as possible; this will come about if he does not take his pleasure in mortal things" (Barnes, 233).
His ethics have an ascetic tone - "Desire for money, if it is not limited by satiety, is far heavier than extreme poverty; for greater desires create greater needs" (Barnes, 237). "It is fitting for men to take account of their souls rather than of their bodies; for a perfect soul corrects wickedness of body, but strength of body without reasoning makes the soul no better at all" (Barnes, 249). But, he isn't totally ascetic - "A life without a feast is a long road without an inn" (Barnes, 238). He seems to be of the mind, moderation is the best way to happiness and that happiness is a state of mind you can choose. "Fortunate is he who is content with moderate goods, unfortunate he who is discontent with many" (Barnes, 247).
In a funny quote that sums up every man from every generation he says, "More men are good by practice than by nature" (Barnes, 240).
"When bad men gain office, the more unworthy they are the more heedless they become and the more they are filled with folly and rashness" (Barnes, 242). Is Democritus anticipating Trump????? Of course he is, because he states, ""anyone who kills any highwayman or pirate is not punishable, whether he does it by his own hand, by issuing an order or by casting a vote" (Barnes, 243). Anticipation is key, homies! Hence he says, "It is hard to be ruled by an inferior"! Amen brother,
Democritus' ethic was ruled by personal shame - feel shame before others and do wrong no more before others than before yourself, your shame should keep you from doing wrong.
His social ethics are interesting and strangely corresponding to Christ's view of wealth. He doesn't rail against acquiring wealth or condemn being wealthy, much like Christ's view. They both simply claim that the love of wealth interferes with the life you ought to live. While Democritus and Christ differ on what that life is, they both agree money ain't everything. "A man enslaved to money will never be just" (Barnes, 249).
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Notes on Timequake - Kurt Vonnegut
I finished Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut the other day, probably the first time I have finished a book by him. I think there was a time I picked up Slaughterhouse Five in the previous century but I'm not sure if I finished it. If I did, it left no lasting impact on me - which, speaks more to my maturity in the previous century than any thing Vonnegut did or did not do with his masterpiece. I enjoyed Timequake very much. I gave it a four-star on my goodreads account. I loved the cynicism and the style. I think it played a part in my short-story entitled The Trade, at least in the tone of the story. I didn't mean to copy his style but it definitely bled through my subconscious. But that is neither here nor there. These are some of the things I really liked about the book:
"Hooray for fireman!
Scum of the Earth as some may be in their daily lives, they can all be saints in emergencies.
Hooray for fireman" (Vonnegut, 7).
First, of this sentence is funny. Second, it points out the fact that as horrible as people can be, they have the capacity to be good, and even better than good.
"People so smart you can't believe it, and people so dumb you can't believe it. People so nice you can't believe it, and people so mean you can't believe it" (Vonnegut, 14). I just really liked the double emphasis in this passage.
"He commented unfavorably on the camouflage suits our own generals wear nowadays on TV, when they describe blasting the bejesus out of some Third World country because of petroleum. 'I can't imagine,' he said, 'any part of the world where such garish pajamas would make a soldier less rather than more visible. We are evidently preparing.' he said, 'to fight World War Three in the midst of an enormous Spanish omelet" (Vonnegut, 27). That's just hysterical to me. Subversive, cynical and distrustful of the government, but hysterical.
This is a long passage, but it's a good one: "'God created the heaven and the earth,' the old, long out-of-print science fiction writer went on. 'And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Satan could have done this herself, but she thought it was stupid, action for the sake of action. What was the point? She didn't say anything at first. But Satan began to worry about God when He said, let there be light and there was light. She had to wonder, What in the heck does he think he's doing? How far does he intend to go, and does he expect me to help him take care of all this crazy stuff? And then the shit really hit the fan. God made man and woman, beautiful little miniatures of Him and her and turned them loose to see what might become of them. The Garden of Eden' said Trout, 'might be considered the prototype for the Colosseum and the Roman Games'" (Vonnegut, 29). A fascinating retelling of the Genesis account.
Chapter 14 might be my favorite chapter in the whole book. I won't quote the whole thing, but Trout's explanation of 'ting-a-ling' is hysterical and sad all at once. "It was nothing but a dirty joke, but this poor, sick man had come to believe it a parable about the awful blows that life had dealt him" (Vonnegut, 58). Ting-a-ling indeed.
"Science never cheered up anyone. The truth about the human situation is just too awful" (Vonnegut, 121). Vonnegut, being a humanist recognizes some of the flaws that a purely naturalistic viewpoint has. He presents it in his gallows humor type of way, but he recognizes the flaws. The problem here is his pride. His pride in himself and his pride in the humans who can achieve happiness without religion. Somewhere else in the book he praises his ex-wife who died without losing faith. He seems genuinely happy about that. I'm not sure if he was mocking her or not. It felt a bit more sincere. But, earlier on this page he lets his feelings be known about religion by relating a story about Isaac Newton. "That Newton was advised by those who were his nominal supervisors to take time out of the hard truths of science to brush up on theology. I like to think they did this not because they were foolish, but to remind him of how comforting and encouraging the make-believe of religion can be for common folk" (Vonnegut, 121). First, I reject out of hand the false dichotomy set up between religion and science. Second, I find this sad. Lastly, I sense a bit of elitism from Vonnegut when dealing with the common folk who still hold religious sentiments. I disagree with his philosophy of religion.
While I disagree with Vonnegut on his philosophy of religion, I found myself nodding my head to his amusing and simplified aesthetic theory. "I was pleased to reply with an epistle which was frankly vengeful, since he and Father had screwed me out of a liberal arts college education: 'Dear Brother: This is almost like telling you about the birds and the bees,' I began. 'There are many good people who are beneficially stimulated by some, but not all, manmade arrangements of colors and shapes on flat surfaces, essentially nonsense. You yourself are gratified by some music, arrangements of noises, and again essentially nonsense. If I were to kick a bucket down the cellar stairs, and then say to you that the racket I had made was philosophically on a par with The Magic Flute, this would not be the beginning of a long and upsetting debate. An utterly satisfactory and complete response on your part would be, 'I like what Mozart did, and I hate what the bucket did'. Contemplating a purported work of art is a social activity. Either you have a rewarding time, or you don't. You don't have to say why afterward. You don't have to say anything. You are a justly revered experimentalist, dear Brother. If you really want to know whether your pictures are, as you say, 'art or not,' you must display them in a public place somewhere, and see if strangers like to look at them. That is the way the game is played. Let me know what happens. I went on: 'People capable of liking some paintings or prints or whatever can rarely do so without knowing something about the artist. Again, the situation is social rather than scientific. Any work of art is half of a conversation between two human beings, and it helps a lot to know who is talking at you. Does he or she have a reputation for seriousness, for religiosity, for suffering, for concupiscence, for rebellion, for sincerity, for jokes?" (Vonnegut, 167-168). Art as a conversation between two or more people. A simplified definition of what art is. I can dig it.
Overall, I loved this book. I can't wait to pick up another Vonnegut book in the near future.
"Hooray for fireman!
Scum of the Earth as some may be in their daily lives, they can all be saints in emergencies.
Hooray for fireman" (Vonnegut, 7).
First, of this sentence is funny. Second, it points out the fact that as horrible as people can be, they have the capacity to be good, and even better than good.
"People so smart you can't believe it, and people so dumb you can't believe it. People so nice you can't believe it, and people so mean you can't believe it" (Vonnegut, 14). I just really liked the double emphasis in this passage.
"He commented unfavorably on the camouflage suits our own generals wear nowadays on TV, when they describe blasting the bejesus out of some Third World country because of petroleum. 'I can't imagine,' he said, 'any part of the world where such garish pajamas would make a soldier less rather than more visible. We are evidently preparing.' he said, 'to fight World War Three in the midst of an enormous Spanish omelet" (Vonnegut, 27). That's just hysterical to me. Subversive, cynical and distrustful of the government, but hysterical.
This is a long passage, but it's a good one: "'God created the heaven and the earth,' the old, long out-of-print science fiction writer went on. 'And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Satan could have done this herself, but she thought it was stupid, action for the sake of action. What was the point? She didn't say anything at first. But Satan began to worry about God when He said, let there be light and there was light. She had to wonder, What in the heck does he think he's doing? How far does he intend to go, and does he expect me to help him take care of all this crazy stuff? And then the shit really hit the fan. God made man and woman, beautiful little miniatures of Him and her and turned them loose to see what might become of them. The Garden of Eden' said Trout, 'might be considered the prototype for the Colosseum and the Roman Games'" (Vonnegut, 29). A fascinating retelling of the Genesis account.
Chapter 14 might be my favorite chapter in the whole book. I won't quote the whole thing, but Trout's explanation of 'ting-a-ling' is hysterical and sad all at once. "It was nothing but a dirty joke, but this poor, sick man had come to believe it a parable about the awful blows that life had dealt him" (Vonnegut, 58). Ting-a-ling indeed.
"Science never cheered up anyone. The truth about the human situation is just too awful" (Vonnegut, 121). Vonnegut, being a humanist recognizes some of the flaws that a purely naturalistic viewpoint has. He presents it in his gallows humor type of way, but he recognizes the flaws. The problem here is his pride. His pride in himself and his pride in the humans who can achieve happiness without religion. Somewhere else in the book he praises his ex-wife who died without losing faith. He seems genuinely happy about that. I'm not sure if he was mocking her or not. It felt a bit more sincere. But, earlier on this page he lets his feelings be known about religion by relating a story about Isaac Newton. "That Newton was advised by those who were his nominal supervisors to take time out of the hard truths of science to brush up on theology. I like to think they did this not because they were foolish, but to remind him of how comforting and encouraging the make-believe of religion can be for common folk" (Vonnegut, 121). First, I reject out of hand the false dichotomy set up between religion and science. Second, I find this sad. Lastly, I sense a bit of elitism from Vonnegut when dealing with the common folk who still hold religious sentiments. I disagree with his philosophy of religion.
While I disagree with Vonnegut on his philosophy of religion, I found myself nodding my head to his amusing and simplified aesthetic theory. "I was pleased to reply with an epistle which was frankly vengeful, since he and Father had screwed me out of a liberal arts college education: 'Dear Brother: This is almost like telling you about the birds and the bees,' I began. 'There are many good people who are beneficially stimulated by some, but not all, manmade arrangements of colors and shapes on flat surfaces, essentially nonsense. You yourself are gratified by some music, arrangements of noises, and again essentially nonsense. If I were to kick a bucket down the cellar stairs, and then say to you that the racket I had made was philosophically on a par with The Magic Flute, this would not be the beginning of a long and upsetting debate. An utterly satisfactory and complete response on your part would be, 'I like what Mozart did, and I hate what the bucket did'. Contemplating a purported work of art is a social activity. Either you have a rewarding time, or you don't. You don't have to say why afterward. You don't have to say anything. You are a justly revered experimentalist, dear Brother. If you really want to know whether your pictures are, as you say, 'art or not,' you must display them in a public place somewhere, and see if strangers like to look at them. That is the way the game is played. Let me know what happens. I went on: 'People capable of liking some paintings or prints or whatever can rarely do so without knowing something about the artist. Again, the situation is social rather than scientific. Any work of art is half of a conversation between two human beings, and it helps a lot to know who is talking at you. Does he or she have a reputation for seriousness, for religiosity, for suffering, for concupiscence, for rebellion, for sincerity, for jokes?" (Vonnegut, 167-168). Art as a conversation between two or more people. A simplified definition of what art is. I can dig it.
Overall, I loved this book. I can't wait to pick up another Vonnegut book in the near future.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Notes on Genesis 29-30
(Originally written May 3, 2007 in Book 16)
Notes on Genesis
29:1 Jacob went eastward on his journey
29:2 He saw three flocks of sheep lying beside a well. The well was covered by a large stone
29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there the shepherds would roll away the stone and then put it back on when they had finished
29:4 Jacob asked them where they came from
29:5 The replied from Haran
29:6 Jacob asked if they knew Laban and they replied, yes.
29:7 Jacob told them it isn't time for the animals to be gathered together he said to water the sheep and re-pasture them
29:8 They replied they couldn't because they had to wait for the stone to be moved
29:9 While Jacob was speaking to them Rachel and her father's sheep came down
29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel and Laban's sheep he rolled the stone away and water her sheep.
29:11 Jacob kissed Rachel and wept
29:12 Jacob told Rachel who he was and she ran and told her father
29:13 Laban ran out to Jacob and kissed him and brought him to his house
29:14 Jacob told Laban everything and stayed with a month
29:15 Laban asked Jacob what his wages should be
29:16 Laban had two daughters: Leah, the older and Rachel, the younger
29:17 Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful
29:18 Jacob said let me serve you for 7 years for the hand of Rachel
29:19 Laban agreed
29:20 Jacob served the seven years but it seemed to be only a few days because of his love for Rachel
29:21 Jacob asked for Rachel because his time was complete
29:22 Laban gathered all the men of the place and prepared a feast
29:23 Laban took Leah to Jacob and he went into her
29:24 Laban gave his maid Zilpah to Leah
29:25 In the morning Jacob found that it was Leah and asked Laban why he had deceived him
29:26 Laban said it was custom that the older marry before the younger
29:27 Laban said that he would give him Rachel for another seven years of service
29:28 Jacob did so, he completed the week-long ceremony and then married Rachel
29:29 Laban gave his maid Bilhah to Rachel
29:30 Jacob went into Rachel. He loved Rachel more than Leah. He then served Laban for 7 years.
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated He opened her womb and closed the womb of Rachel
29:32 Leah bore Jacob a son and named him Reuben
29:33 She bore another son and named him Simeon
29:34 She bore another son and named him Levi
29:35 She bore another son and named him Judah
30:1 Rachel envied Leah and told Jacob to give her children or she will die
30:2 Jacob became angry with Rachel
30:3 Rachel gave Jacob Bilhah to bear her children
30:4 Jacob went into Bilhah
30:5 Bilhah bore Jacob a son
30:6 Rachel said God has judged and heard me and named the boy Dan
30:7 BIlhah conceived another son
30:8 Rachel named him Naphtali
30:9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children she gave Jacob Zilpah
30:10 Zilpah bore Jacob a son
30:11 Leah named him Gad
30:12 Zilpah bore him another son
30:13 Leah named him Asher
- recap:
Jacob & Leah - Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah
Jacob and Bilhah - Dan, Naphtali
Jacob and Zilpah - Gad and Asher
30:14 Reuben found some mandrakes and gave them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked for some mandrakes
30:15 Leah said is it not enough that you have taken my husband away you now want to take away my son's mandrakes. Rachel said Leah could sleep with Jacob that night for some mandrakes.
30:16 When Jacob came home Leah told him that he must sleep with her because she had hired him with Reuben's mandrakes
30:17 She conceived another son
30:18 She named him Issachar
30:19 Leah conceived again
30:20 She named this son Zebulun
30:21 She then had a daughter she named Dinah
30:22 God remembered Rachel and opened up her womb
30:23 She bore a son and said God has taken away my reproach
30:24 She named him Joseph
30:25 When Joseph was born Jacob said to Laban send me back home to my own country
30:26 He said give me wives and my children and let me go
30:27 Laban said that he had learned by divination that the Lord had blessed him because of Jacob
30:28 Laban said name your wages and stay
30:29 Jacob said you know how I have served you well
30:30 He asked when will I provide for myself
30:31 Laban asked what he could give him and Jacob said you can give me nothing if you will just do this for me.
30:32 Jacob said let me take the speckled goats and black sheep and that will be my wages
30:33 He said he would only take the speckled ones
30:34 Laban agreed
30:35 Jacob took his pay and gave them to his son's to tend
30:36 He traveled for a three day distance away from Laban and fed the rest of Laban's flock
30:37 Jacob peeled the bark off some trees
30:38 He set them where they came to drink and breed
30:39 The flocks conceived many striped and speckled animals
30:40 He then separated the flocks of Laban and his own
30:41 Whenever the stronger flocks were breeding Jacob lay the striped tree rods before them
30:42 But he did not do so for the feeble flocks. Jacob's flocks grew strong
30:43 Jacob grew to be very wealthy.
Notes on Genesis
29:1 Jacob went eastward on his journey
29:2 He saw three flocks of sheep lying beside a well. The well was covered by a large stone
29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there the shepherds would roll away the stone and then put it back on when they had finished
29:4 Jacob asked them where they came from
29:5 The replied from Haran
29:6 Jacob asked if they knew Laban and they replied, yes.
29:7 Jacob told them it isn't time for the animals to be gathered together he said to water the sheep and re-pasture them
29:8 They replied they couldn't because they had to wait for the stone to be moved
29:9 While Jacob was speaking to them Rachel and her father's sheep came down
29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel and Laban's sheep he rolled the stone away and water her sheep.
29:11 Jacob kissed Rachel and wept
29:12 Jacob told Rachel who he was and she ran and told her father
29:13 Laban ran out to Jacob and kissed him and brought him to his house
29:14 Jacob told Laban everything and stayed with a month
29:15 Laban asked Jacob what his wages should be
29:16 Laban had two daughters: Leah, the older and Rachel, the younger
29:17 Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful
29:18 Jacob said let me serve you for 7 years for the hand of Rachel
29:19 Laban agreed
29:20 Jacob served the seven years but it seemed to be only a few days because of his love for Rachel
29:21 Jacob asked for Rachel because his time was complete
29:22 Laban gathered all the men of the place and prepared a feast
29:23 Laban took Leah to Jacob and he went into her
29:24 Laban gave his maid Zilpah to Leah
29:25 In the morning Jacob found that it was Leah and asked Laban why he had deceived him
29:26 Laban said it was custom that the older marry before the younger
29:27 Laban said that he would give him Rachel for another seven years of service
29:28 Jacob did so, he completed the week-long ceremony and then married Rachel
29:29 Laban gave his maid Bilhah to Rachel
29:30 Jacob went into Rachel. He loved Rachel more than Leah. He then served Laban for 7 years.
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated He opened her womb and closed the womb of Rachel
29:32 Leah bore Jacob a son and named him Reuben
29:33 She bore another son and named him Simeon
29:34 She bore another son and named him Levi
29:35 She bore another son and named him Judah
30:1 Rachel envied Leah and told Jacob to give her children or she will die
30:2 Jacob became angry with Rachel
30:3 Rachel gave Jacob Bilhah to bear her children
30:4 Jacob went into Bilhah
30:5 Bilhah bore Jacob a son
30:6 Rachel said God has judged and heard me and named the boy Dan
30:7 BIlhah conceived another son
30:8 Rachel named him Naphtali
30:9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children she gave Jacob Zilpah
30:10 Zilpah bore Jacob a son
30:11 Leah named him Gad
30:12 Zilpah bore him another son
30:13 Leah named him Asher
- recap:
Jacob & Leah - Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah
Jacob and Bilhah - Dan, Naphtali
Jacob and Zilpah - Gad and Asher
30:14 Reuben found some mandrakes and gave them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked for some mandrakes
30:15 Leah said is it not enough that you have taken my husband away you now want to take away my son's mandrakes. Rachel said Leah could sleep with Jacob that night for some mandrakes.
30:16 When Jacob came home Leah told him that he must sleep with her because she had hired him with Reuben's mandrakes
30:17 She conceived another son
30:18 She named him Issachar
30:19 Leah conceived again
30:20 She named this son Zebulun
30:21 She then had a daughter she named Dinah
30:22 God remembered Rachel and opened up her womb
30:23 She bore a son and said God has taken away my reproach
30:24 She named him Joseph
30:25 When Joseph was born Jacob said to Laban send me back home to my own country
30:26 He said give me wives and my children and let me go
30:27 Laban said that he had learned by divination that the Lord had blessed him because of Jacob
30:28 Laban said name your wages and stay
30:29 Jacob said you know how I have served you well
30:30 He asked when will I provide for myself
30:31 Laban asked what he could give him and Jacob said you can give me nothing if you will just do this for me.
30:32 Jacob said let me take the speckled goats and black sheep and that will be my wages
30:33 He said he would only take the speckled ones
30:34 Laban agreed
30:35 Jacob took his pay and gave them to his son's to tend
30:36 He traveled for a three day distance away from Laban and fed the rest of Laban's flock
30:37 Jacob peeled the bark off some trees
30:38 He set them where they came to drink and breed
30:39 The flocks conceived many striped and speckled animals
30:40 He then separated the flocks of Laban and his own
30:41 Whenever the stronger flocks were breeding Jacob lay the striped tree rods before them
30:42 But he did not do so for the feeble flocks. Jacob's flocks grew strong
30:43 Jacob grew to be very wealthy.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
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
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.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Notes on Genesis 26-27
(Originally written April 30, 2007 in Book 16)
Genesis
26:1 There was a famine so Isaac went to Gerar to see Abimelech, the king of the Philistines.
26:2 The Lord told him not to go to Egypt, but to where he showed Isaac
26:3 The Lord said that he would bless him and his descendants if he stayed in the land
26:4 The Lord reiterated that he would make his descendants as numerous as the stars and that by Isaac's descendants all the nations of the earth would bless themselves.
26:5 The Lord said he would do this because Abraham obeyed his commandments and Law
26:6 Isaac dwelt then in Gerar
26:7 Isaac told then that Rebekah was his sister so that the people of Gerar would not kill him
26:8 Abimelech called to Isaac and asked why he said Rebekah was his sister. Isaac said so that no one would kill him for her.
26:10 Abimelech scolded Isaac because if some one would have laid with her it would have brought guilt on us
26:11 Abimelech warned al the people that whoever touches Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death
26:12 Isaac sewed in Gerar and reaped a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him
26:13 Isaac became very wealth
26:14 The Philistines soon envied him
26:15 The Philistines filled all of Abraham's old wells.
26:16 Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave because of his wealth and might
26:17 Isaac departed and camped in the valley of Gerar
26:18 Isaac re-dug a springing well
26:20 The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with them over the well so it was named Esek (contention)
26:21 They dug another one and the herdsmen quarreled over it as well. This is called Sitnah (Enmity)
26:22 They dug another one and the herdsmen did not quarrel over it so it was called Reho'booth
because the Lord had made room for them
26:23 From there Isaac went to Beersheba
26:24 The Lord appeared to Isaac and promised to bless him for Abraham's sake
26:25 Isaac built an altar there and pitched his tent
26:26 Abimelech went to Isaac with Ahuz'zath his adviser and Phicol
26:27 Isaac asked why he who hates him came to see him
26:28 They replied that we can see that the Lord is with you and we want to make an oath with you
26:29 They wanted to make a covenant that we will do no harm to you and you do no harm to us
26:30 Isaac prepared a feast and they all ate and drank
26:31 They woke and made the oath in the morning and Isaac sent them on their way
26:32-33 Then Isaac's servants told him that they had found water so they named the place Shibah
26:34 Esau took Judith, daughter of Be-e'ri the Hittite and Bas'emoth, daughter of Elon the Hittite for his wives when he was 40.
26:35 They made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah
27:1 When Isaac was old he called to Esau. Isaac was now blind
27:2 Isaac told Esau that he was old and did not know the day of his death
27:3 He told Esau to go and hunt game for him
27:4 He told him to bring the food to him as he loved so that he could eat and bless him
27:5 Rebekah was listening to Isaac as he told Esau this
27:6 She told Jacob about it
27:7 She told Jacob what Isaac had said
27:8 She finished telling Jacob what Isaac commanded Esau
27:9 She told Jacob to go to the flock and get two young kids so she could prepare them for Isaacthe way he liked.
27:10 She told him that Jacob could bring them to him and receive the blessing
27:11 Jacob replied that Esau was hairy and he was not
27:12 He was afraid that Isaac would curse him if he would found out
27:13 She said that she would receive the curse, but listen to her and obey
27:14 Jacob got the goats and Rebekah prepared them the way Isaac liked
27:15 Rebekah took Esau's clothes and put them on Jacob
27:16 She put the goat skins on Jacob's hands and neck
27:17 She gave Jacob the food.
Genesis
26:1 There was a famine so Isaac went to Gerar to see Abimelech, the king of the Philistines.
26:2 The Lord told him not to go to Egypt, but to where he showed Isaac
26:3 The Lord said that he would bless him and his descendants if he stayed in the land
26:4 The Lord reiterated that he would make his descendants as numerous as the stars and that by Isaac's descendants all the nations of the earth would bless themselves.
26:5 The Lord said he would do this because Abraham obeyed his commandments and Law
26:6 Isaac dwelt then in Gerar
26:7 Isaac told then that Rebekah was his sister so that the people of Gerar would not kill him
26:8 Abimelech called to Isaac and asked why he said Rebekah was his sister. Isaac said so that no one would kill him for her.
26:10 Abimelech scolded Isaac because if some one would have laid with her it would have brought guilt on us
26:11 Abimelech warned al the people that whoever touches Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death
26:12 Isaac sewed in Gerar and reaped a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him
26:13 Isaac became very wealth
26:14 The Philistines soon envied him
26:15 The Philistines filled all of Abraham's old wells.
26:16 Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave because of his wealth and might
26:17 Isaac departed and camped in the valley of Gerar
26:18 Isaac re-dug a springing well
26:20 The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with them over the well so it was named Esek (contention)
26:21 They dug another one and the herdsmen quarreled over it as well. This is called Sitnah (Enmity)
26:22 They dug another one and the herdsmen did not quarrel over it so it was called Reho'booth
because the Lord had made room for them
26:23 From there Isaac went to Beersheba
26:24 The Lord appeared to Isaac and promised to bless him for Abraham's sake
26:25 Isaac built an altar there and pitched his tent
26:26 Abimelech went to Isaac with Ahuz'zath his adviser and Phicol
26:27 Isaac asked why he who hates him came to see him
26:28 They replied that we can see that the Lord is with you and we want to make an oath with you
26:29 They wanted to make a covenant that we will do no harm to you and you do no harm to us
26:30 Isaac prepared a feast and they all ate and drank
26:31 They woke and made the oath in the morning and Isaac sent them on their way
26:32-33 Then Isaac's servants told him that they had found water so they named the place Shibah
26:34 Esau took Judith, daughter of Be-e'ri the Hittite and Bas'emoth, daughter of Elon the Hittite for his wives when he was 40.
26:35 They made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah
27:1 When Isaac was old he called to Esau. Isaac was now blind
27:2 Isaac told Esau that he was old and did not know the day of his death
27:3 He told Esau to go and hunt game for him
27:4 He told him to bring the food to him as he loved so that he could eat and bless him
27:5 Rebekah was listening to Isaac as he told Esau this
27:6 She told Jacob about it
27:7 She told Jacob what Isaac had said
27:8 She finished telling Jacob what Isaac commanded Esau
27:9 She told Jacob to go to the flock and get two young kids so she could prepare them for Isaacthe way he liked.
27:10 She told him that Jacob could bring them to him and receive the blessing
27:11 Jacob replied that Esau was hairy and he was not
27:12 He was afraid that Isaac would curse him if he would found out
27:13 She said that she would receive the curse, but listen to her and obey
27:14 Jacob got the goats and Rebekah prepared them the way Isaac liked
27:15 Rebekah took Esau's clothes and put them on Jacob
27:16 She put the goat skins on Jacob's hands and neck
27:17 She gave Jacob the food.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
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
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.
Friday, April 27, 2007
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
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
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