As I wondered what to do to "top" 2009 in actually reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, the answer came plain and simple. Read it again. I did really sigh, but thought I needed to do something different. I felt impressed to write at least one sentence about each days reading. That was going to take just a few more minutes of my morning quiet time...so I thought..yeah...that's what I'll do.
Today is day 18 of reading the Bible in 2010...and I thought I'd put some of my thoughts in my blog that I have written in my journal.
"I find it interesting that God told the man not to eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. God must have expected the man to take his rightful place in family order and warn his wife concerning the tree...and then stick to God's words. "Since you listened to your wife..." shows that Adam knew better but gave into the free will given him. I wonder what would have happened if Adam had refused the fruit...but allowed only Eve to eat it.
"Isn't is interesting that all the men lived up to 900 some odd years--which was normal. Sin was prevalent and God was becoming angry...I wonder if he is at wit's end in today's world. So much violence, thumbing Almighty God's name...I need to remember the one verse at end of Chapter 6...."So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him." Kind of different than Adam and Eve.
Why have I not seen this before. God commanded Noah to take seven pair of clean animals to use in their sacrifices and to eat. All I remember all my adult life is two by two...yet it's right there in black and white. I don't remember ever reading that.
Cush was an ancestor of Nimrod who was the first heroic warrior on earth. First 'superhero'. Interesting.
From Canaan came the ancestors of the Sidonians, Canaan also was an ancestor of the Hittites, Jehusites, Amorites and Girgashites.
When Abram heard Lot and all his people & belongings had been captured, he took all 318 of his men, attacked this huge army of the enemy and got Lot, his people and belongings back. I guess when there's no one behind your back whispering to you that you can't do it...you just believe God.
It is rumored that Melchizedek was Christ Himself, but here it says he was a priest of El Elyon--God most High.
When the king whom Abram had defeated said he would pay to get his own belongings back from Abram, Abram gave them back without pay. Reminds me when David was in the same situation and he had said he refused to be given money for something that cost him nothing. And I see that Abram built altars and praised God. Maybe that is what is missing in my life. When God does answer my prayers I don't honor Him, it's almost like I feel I deserve it. Maybe there ought to be more altar-building in my life.
And Abram believed the Lord and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.
Hagar named God "You are the God who sees me." sweet.
Genesis 18 is all about comfort zones. Three men came to Abraham..I know one was the Lord and one was the LORD...could the 3rd one be the Holy Spirit?
Lot's offspring through his own daughters became the Moabites and the Ammonites.
Abraham planted a tree and worshipped the Lord. (Another altar.)
After sacrificing a ram instead of his son Isaac, Abraham named the place "Yahweh Yireh"...The God who Provides.
Abraham's brother Nahor was the grandfather of Rebekah...Jacob's wife. Hm...interesting.
It's interesting that the woman is behind the lie. Rebekah had Jacob lie to the get the birthright...and Jacob I guess shrugged his shoulders and just did it. Is that REALLY honoring your mother? Then Jacob has to leave his mother and father out of fear of being killed by his brother?
"To get back" at his dad for not giving him the blessing, Esau married Ishmael's daughter. Jacob gets a visit from the LORD on the stairway to heaven. Jacob decides then to give a 10th of everything he owned at the altar he built where he saw the stairway.
Leah was the mother of Reuben; Simeon; Levi; Judah (Christ's lineage); Issachar, Zebulun...Rachel's servant had Dan; Naphatali. Leah's servant had Zilpah; Gad and Asher. Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin.
There will always be unscrupulous businessmen like Laben. ..wanting something for nothing. Unfortunately, Jacob is also the same type of businessman. . . and I do believe Rachel is cut out of the same cloth. She stole the family gods.
Chapter 32 in Genesis... ah...remind God of His promises. He loves to hear His word back to him. El-Elohi Israel...God the God of Israel....El Shaddai---God Almighty.
Esau was also known as Edom..thus...the Edomites.
I wonder if Joseph felt he was successful as he dealt with one 'tragedy' after another. In God's word, God said he continued to bless Joseph. What was Joseph thinking when he was "blessed" by being thrown into the cistern then sold as a common slave (and really...what did the brothers do with the money they collected from selling him?)
Was Joseph praising God for the blessing of being accused of nearly raping Potiphar's wife? Was he feeling blessed in prison? Inquiring minds want to know!
Pharaoh gave Joseph a new name...Zaphenath-paneah which means: God speaks and lives.
That is a blessing.
I think that Jacob knew all along that his 10 other sons had done something with Joseph. I wonder if he "pondered these things in his heart". But today's reading...we have a happy reunion in Egypt.
As the family moved to Egypt and Joseph began to buy every one's land for food, to the point that only Pharaoh had food and land... is this the beginning of the Egyptians rule over the Israelites...when did the happy turn to the captive?
