Streaks of Color and "Colorful People"

Coming up this Thursday, April 5, we will be studying Genesis 9.  The oddities in the chapter should make for great conversation.  Read it over a few times, jotting down questions that occur to you.  Also, if you have the opportunity to read it in a few different versions, that might generate some additional questions; jot those down too.

Consider the following on your third or fourth trip through the chapter:

• Read this blog entry I made way back in January this year.  It examines the first seven verses.
• Who is the "bow in the cloud" a reminder for, us or God?
• Look at Gen 8:20-22, then Gen 9:1-7, then Gen 9:8-17 as separate pieces.  Can they rearranged?  Are they "sequential"?  And what are the distinct emphases of each?
• What different (or similar) element of God's character shows in each piece?
• What is up between Noah and Canaan?  Is this a mean "grandpa" or what is it?
• Follow this link to see the range of meaning of this Hebrew word.  It was used in the blessing of Japheth in the first part of verse 27.  Was it necessarily a "blessing"?

That should shake it up enough for now. I look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday!  Have a blessed week, and be sure to post questions and/or prayer requests.

By the way, if you "join" this blog, you get automatic notifications of each posting, and it's easier to post comments.  It's not hard to do, but Google does want you to have a Google account.

Here Comes The Flood!

This coming Thursday, March 22, we'll be starting Genesis 7.  There are bunches of interesting things in there, puzzling things, and things that defy understanding.  That's okay, though, we've been down that road already, and we know we'll be alright.

The chapter breaks down into the following pieces:  vs. 1-5, 6-12, 13-16, 17-24. We'll look at them in that arrangement.  As you read through Genesis 7, consider the following:

•  Some of the passages seem repetitious.  But what are the differences?
• The law had not yet been given, so what's up with "clean" versus "unclean" animals?
• Some cultures have a "flood memory" that seems more regional than global.  How is this one described?
• The graphic below is a fairly good representation of how the ancients thought the world was.  Look it over and let's discuss what you think about it. 

There are two sets of "pillars", of the earth (1 Samuel 2:8, Job 9:6, Psalm 74:3, ), and of heaven (Job 26:11).  Together they form a supported "bowl" with the face of the land along the bottom.  The pillars of the earth support the "bowl" in the waters of the deep (primeval ocean).  The "vault" or dome over the earth has windows for rain.  The stars, sun, and moon travel the surface of the dome.  The dome creates a "bubble" in the waters surrounding the earth (like an underwater city?).

Think of this structure as you read the last two sections of Genesis 7.  Hows does it affect your understanding of what happened or what it might have looked like in the minds of the people first reading/hearing this account and those it was passed on down to?

That should be enough for Thursday.  I look forward to seeing you all again.  I hope you are blessed until then!

Why Two Creations?

For Tomorrow:  Read Genesis 2:4-25

Question:  If He already has a systematic description of creation, why does God then inspire another account recorded here?

Consider:

·         What are the differences?

·         What are the similarities?

·         What is different about the Creator in the second one?

See you Thursday!

What Is This About?

I believe the Bible is the written record of what the Creator of the universe wants His human creatures to know.  I believe He wants us to know it so that we will seek a relationship with Him, because that is what He wants with us.

It is completely irrational to expect such limited creatures, trapped on a planet from which they can only observe a small portion of the universe, to be capable of engaging the One responsible for that universe.  We are completely dependent upon the Creator for any engagement.  I believe the Bible is that effort on His part to initiate that engagement.

But what is the message it contains?  What is it that this Unapproachable Master of all matter wants us to know?  In other words, what is the Bible all about?  Well, how about we read it and find out?

This blog is a support and communication place for a small group from Journey Community Church in Fernley, Nevada.  The study is the Bible, and any question about the Bible is fair.  Bring it on.  It's not that I have all the answers.  I don't even know where to find all the answers.  But here's the thing, if the Bible really is God reaching out His human Creatures, then wouldn't He make it understandable?  I think so.  But I also believe that He didn't cover everything we might think is important, and stuck to those things He thought was important.

Another issue faced in working with the Bible is the cultural context it was intially communicated into.  I believe that He not only inspired the writings, but also preserved them so we have what He wants us to have.  While that may be, I still believe that He didn't inspire a record that ignored the intial group He spoke to.  Thier culture and "cosmology" would have prevented Him being understood had He used the "cosmology" understood today.  So, the Bible may not be a "science book", but I doubt our relationship with our Maker hinges on our understanding of science.

With this basic premise for approaching the Sacred Scripture of both Hebrews and Christians, my intent is to seek the message of the Master of the universe through the events and people He used to record His message.  I hope to begin with the accounts and people in Genesis and wind up somewhere around the Acts of the Apostles.  And I'm in no hurry to get there.  In this trip, I believe the journey is the key to discovering the face of our Maker.  And I suspect we will find Him smiling.