Today, well tonight rather, I read the first five chapters of the book of Genesis. It was a little difficult to not just glaze over chapters one and two which are home to the creation story. It's a biblical story that I've heard probably since I was in utero. Even so, I did try really hard to read it as though it was new to me. I tried to imagine how my five year old - who at the moment is 100% obsessed with stars, planets and anything outer space - would read it, if he could read. When you look at it that way it's pretty darn cool to realize that there's someone who made all that stuff! The genius and artistry it must have taken to arrange everything perfectly so that everything complements and works with everything else. Amazing.
Considering the fact that I just gave birth three months ago, I'm sure most of you can figure pretty quickly which part of chapter three automatically gets the stink eye from me. "To the woman [God] said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.'" Billions of women have cursed this lady during childbirth for thousands of years. But in all honesty can we really say that we wouldn't have tried the apple too? Ask any parent of a teenager and they'll agree that the quickest way to get them to do anything is to tell them they're not allowed to do it. I'm pretty sure that my curiosity would have eventually overwhelmed me as well. This coming from someone who is terrible at Rook because I always overbid on the nest cards at the beginning of the game. I just have to know what cards are in that pile!
After the expulsion from the Garden of Eden things just go downhill fast. We see the first example of hatred, jealousy, and murder when Cain kills his brother Abel and is cursed to wander the earth for the rest of his life. Goodbye perfect world where you can walk with God everyday and hello fallen existence full of scary stuff. I have to admit this excites the adventure/fantasy reader in me just a little bit. But, when I think about it and realize there's nothing fiction about this book, I'm a little kid hiding under the sheets again.
Yay for day one complete. I'm quite proud that I've actually started this. Let's stay faithful and see this thing through to the end. What do you say people?
I commend you and pray you can remain faithful. Do as Terry did when he began, not like I did.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I began a bible that allowed one to read the entire Bible in one year. Our One Year Bibles have a portion from OT, NT, Ps. and Pro. each day. I began in Jan. I faded out in March. Twice more I began in Jan. Then Terry began in an April and ended at New Years, only to begin again. That did it for me. I began that Jan and stuck to it. It has been 20 yrs this New Year's Day and Terry is still going. I did it for 10 or 15 yrs, then chose subjects and books of the Bible I wanted to study.
One thing it did for us was tie the entire Bible together as one story. We changed over time in many ways. Our consciences grew much more sensitive to God's standards. We grew in love for each other and for others. More things about our world hurt our hearts. Our faith has grown, faith for even the impossible, which is possible with God. We are harder to satisfy by a teacher or leader now than when we began. Things that differ from the Bible we've studied clang out as if out loud. It is a good thing our mercy has also grown. It is our goal to continue to grow in Christ's likeness in our hearts, actions and relationships. It is a life long journey. I encourage you to jump on. I am encouraged that you are beginning with an infant and a 5 yr. old son. My one regret is that I didn't begin, even with false starts, in my early marriage and parenting days.
Sometimes I jump back in to a plan. I have used Max Lucado's one year on Kindle. Now I am reading a great Bible that is not a one-year format, also on Kindle. It is a Holy Spirit Bible with notes from dozens of scholars and leading teachers. This is rich and goes slowly, but I am deeply fed.
I studied with Precepts groups, even becoming a leader. I also studied with Bible Study Fellowship. However, nothing has grown my love for God's word as much as reading it myself and studying it where I feel led. I have a special place in my heart for other women who love God's word. I didn't love it at first, but I do now. I couldn't tell you when I began.
Love, Linda
You go girl! Although I'm already a day behind, I think I'll join you if you don't mind :-)
ReplyDeleteGenesis Chs 1 - 5 read :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping you're not going to read much more than 5 chapters a day since I'm using a study bible, as well as study questions, and so it's taking me quite a bit of time. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time today and am looking forward to doing this with you.
Question - have you, or anyone else, ever heard a good explanation as to why God would forbid Adam from eating from the "tree of knowledge" (Gen 2.16-17)? That has just never made much sense to me.
Regarding the same verse, one of my study aids put forth this very interesting interpretation >> In the Aramaic translation (i.e., Targum Onkelos) this verse is translated in a verbal form as: "... the eaters of whose fruit would discriminate between good and evil." Here, "discriminating between good and evil" is seen in a negative connotation. This of course appears to make little sense. Again, the answer is found at a deeper level. Simply stated, everything that comes into our lives is allowed by God. The only "choice" we have is how to react. Thus, at a "higher level" (where Adam was and where we strive to be) we should view both "good" and "evil" as having the same purpose and source -- they both come from God and exist in order for us to be brought closer to God (i.e., Romans 5:3-5). To "discriminate" between them, in the sense of attributing only "good" things as being from God, and what we perceive as "bad" as ultimately coming from anything but God, is wrong.
Interpreted in this fashion it makes more sense as to the directive not to eat from the tree. Just curious if there were any other reasonings/interpretations that anyone has heard that rang true to them.
Jeanie, I'm so glad you chose to blog about this journey, and I look forward to seeing what you read next. Until tomorrow :-)