January 2 + Daily Reading & Notes

Yesterday's first-day post was viewed more than 175 200 times.  I'm hopeful that our ongoing reading is going to be a blessing for so many people.

You can leave comments and/or questions at anytime.  Just go to the bottom of each post to do so.  The more feedback we get from you, the better it is for everyone else.  So, share your observations, questions or ideas about what we're reading.

What do you think of when you consider the image of God?

Here's a video that gives you a great idea of what that means.

DAILY READING: GENESIS 4-7, PSALM 2

Genesis 4:1-3

• The man and his wife Eve now begin life outside the garden God had provided for them.  As a result of their disobedience, the two must now face the difficulties of this new life.  It is Eve's "work" that is highlighted.  God had told her before that "in pain you shall bring forth children."  So, after having her child, Cain, she declares that she was able to do so "with the help of the Lord."
• Abel was a keeper of the sheep and Cain a tiller of the ground.  It didn't take long for the family to develop job descriptions.
• "In the course of time" doesn't provide a precise idea of how long the family has lived and worked now.  How old were the brothers?  
• Notice that the idea of bringing God an offering is understood.  There's no explanation given as to what the offering was for or even why it was given.  The only details we have are what Cain and Abel offered.  

Genesis 4:7

• Did/does God have favorites?  The text says that God had regard for both the offering and the person (or didn't have regard for the offering and the person).
• What did it mean that God didn't regard Cain?  Did God tell him so?  Did God give him the cold shoulder?

Genesis 4:8-16

• If you didn't know it was coming, Cain killing Abel comes about pretty quickly.  Isn't that just how anger can work?  Anger has a way of spurring us to say things we don't mean and/or do things we later regret.
• Even after what Adam and Eve did, this is the first time God uses the word "sin."  Sin is described with active terms-it lurks about and desires us.  1 Peter warns us that the devil "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).  Sound familiar?
• After Cain killed Abel, God's question to him mirrors what God asked Eve after she and Adam ate the fruit: What have you done?
• Notice how many times the word "brother" is used in this passage.  Is that done on purpose?
• A common question people have about this story is, "Where did all the people come from that Cain is worried will kill him?"  Good question.  There are various ideas--too many to mention or explain here.  That might be a fascinating bit of homework for you.

Genesis 4:23-24

• Cain carries on with his life and his family grows.  So far, we've seen disobedience, fear and anger from people.  But it seems that murder is the highest sin.  Cain is sent away as punishment.  Lamech is sure he will suffer "seventy-sevenfold" times was Cain has suffered.  I suppose this is the same Lamech mentioned in 5:28-31.  So, even though he committed the most heinous of sins, his family still produces the saving figure, Noah.  That'll preach!

Genesis 5

• Before you quickly gloss over all the names, notice the pattern of each person named.  
• This is the first instance where "Adam" is used as a personal name.  Before, even though it doesn't read as such in English, Adam was used, most likely. to identify humanity.
• Notice what is different about the life of Enoch.

Genesis 6:1-5

• Who the "sons of God" are is an issue that is often debated.  There are several common explanations that range from simplistic to, literally, out-of-this-world.  They are, though, a prelude to the description of humanity's wickedness.

Genesis 6:6-7

• This verse has always troubled me.  Surely God knew what we would become.  Still, consider the pain God now feels.  It makes me recall when Jesus was amazed at the faith of the Centurion (Luke 7:9).  Here, in a totally different sense, God is sorry that people were ever created.  What we do matters to God.
• It makes you wonder why the animals had to suffer in God's next plan.  Were they culprits, too?  Remember the serpent was the most crafty in Creation.  Does that mean there were others who were crafty, just not as much as the serpent?

Genesis 6:9-22

• God makes a covenant with Noah.  You can tell even before the word is used in verse 18 because God says, "For my part..."  That means God is setting the terms of what is to come.  Noah has something he will do.  God has something he will do, too.  That's how a covenant works.
• In verse 6:5-6, the writer said that God has seen humanity's wickedness and was sorry.  Now, in 6:13, God determines to do away with humanity because they have filled the earth with "violence."  Again, the previous describe a somewhat vague idea of all the thoughts of humanity.  This verse, however, identifies violence specifically.  Have we learned anything since?
• Yes, Noah was told to bring every kind of animal on the ark, but also remember he was told to bring every kind of food, too.

Genesis 7

• An easy way to learn the Bible is to place-mark events.  For example, the story of Noah's ark is pretty familiar;  it's easy to remember.  It takes place in chapter 7.  So, bookmark Genesis 7 as Noah's ark in your mind.  It will help you create a mental picture of the ongoing story of the Bible.
• After the ark was built, Noah was told to wait 7 days.  Our life is spent waiting on God.  We might as well get used to that.  In our waiting, though, we know that God is faithful.  God made a covenant with Noah.  Noah did was he was commanded.  We can be sure God will be faithful to do his part.  
• If it feels like the story goes back and forth, you're paying attention.  Take some time to learn about the J, E and P writers of the Old Testament.  
• A great rain came to flood the earth (7:4) and the waters of the deep came to help (7:11).
• Noah fulfilled his part of the covenant.  God fulfilled his.  Everything with the breath of life was "blotted out."  That's a strange term.  The sense is that they were destroyed or erased from existence.  And that's the story we want to paint our nurseries with?  

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

• It's easy for us to dismiss the family names of the Bible.  But they are important.  If anything, up to this point, they demonstrate that God desired for people to build life together.  You don't have to memorize every name (kuddos if you do), but let's appreciate that including these names is an important part of retelling our faith.
• As humanity carries on after life in the garden, we don't do so well--at least according to God's standards.  It seems there's only one person who truly is righteous.  And what seems to set him apart is the phrase that is repeated of him: he did all that God commanded him.  We can't get around that.  What God desires most from us is obedience.  We aren't truly walking with God if we aren't attempting to do so in obedience.  

Stay blessed...john