Genesis 11 - Genesis 15 (Abram)

11.

Sensing a pattern? Sin...judgment...deliverance...sin...judgment...deliverance... Man, we're dense.

If the Tower of Babel were built today, would they put a revolving restaurant on top? Who would have the naming rights? I'm thinking "The Rosetta Stone Tower of Babel."

God wants us to depend on Him. It's not His ego; it's in our best interest. Trust me.

Sin and pride make life more complicated. Imagine if the whole world spoke English like they did back before the Tower of Babel. What?! They didn't speak English? Not even King James English? Forget it, then.

I'm of the opinion that the geneologies skip the boring people until they get to someone interesting, like Noah and Abram. I wonder what Peleg was like. I guess the only thing of note was that he was a dad. Being a dad is kind of one of the biggest things I've done, too. I guess if all they say of me is that I became the father of Tate, that will be okay.

12.

God chose Abram; Abram didn't choose God. Take that, decision theology!

Should we feel bad for the Canaanites that God intended to kick them out of their land. No, we're all just renters, not owners, anyway. Plus, they were Godless heathens.

The whole "My wife is hot, so let's pretend she's my sister" was the type of gameplan that would get a coach fired. Not a smooth move on Abram's part. That, and God wants us to trust in Him for security and safety.

God protects the witless.

13.

Lot chose the big half of the cookie, and look where that got him.

14.

Before Vegas stole it, the original phrase was "What happens in Sodom..."

Sidenote: You'll hear more about Melchizedek in the New Testament. He's a footnote in this narrative, but he foreshadows the One who would be Prophet, Priest, and King (Jesus).

15.

Faith in God's promises = credited as righteousness. Abram: the first Lutheran - sola fide.

Pretty detailed prophecies from God: 400 years in slavery, followed by an all-inclusive, all-expenses-paid trip to the Promised Land. Sweet. Like milk and honey.

Abraham's covenant - Land from God, and He keeps His Word.

Genesis 6 - Genesis 10 (Water, Water, Everywhere)

(try to imagine it without the Honda CR-V and tourists)

6.
120 years? Sounds like a better range than 900+. Did God make a mistake letting them live so long in the first place? My theory is that He's an optimist and underestimated our capacity for wickedness.

Sin grieves God.

God loves righteous people.

Things I would like to see if I had a DeLorean or a phone booth capable of time travel: the Garden of Eden, Noah's ark that took 100 years to build, the Red Sea crossing, the Temple in Jerusalem on its opening day...


Things I wouldn't like to smell: an ark full of that many animals.


7.
By the way, it would take a lot of water to flood the whole earth. These are the type of insights you can't buy.


8.
God always remembers His people. Whenever God remembers in the Bible, it usually has to do with a promise. Whenever He forgets, it usually has to do with our sins. These are important insights into the character of God.


First thing to do when God delivers you and makes good on His promises: worship Him. He likes that.


9.
You might notice that God's blessing is similar to what He said to Adam and Eve. That didn't work out so well, but this covenant promise has gone pretty well so far. At least He has kept His promise to not wipe out all earthly life again (though I'd have to guess He's been tempted every once in a while).


Rainbows: reminders of God's promises.


Back to Jesus' lineage. Grandpa Noah was a drunk.


10.
The first of many geneologies in the Bible. Why are they worthy of publishing? They establish a line that leads to Jesus. Gut out these passages, and you'll see the big picture. Plus, there are some funny baby names you can suggest to your friends.

Genesis 1 - Genesis 5...

1.
Nothing. Something. Kinda kicks the whole "matter cannot be creator or destroyed" thing to the curb. Think about it: it all happened with a declaration by God. Top that.

Say what you want about how creation happened (and lots of people have), but look at the words. Evening. Morning. Day one. Evening. Morning. Day two. Evening. Morning. Day three. You get the idea.

So God created every species of plant and animal and mankind has been trying to wipe them out in their sin ever since the fall. If God can create them, do you really think man has the power to destroy them? If God set into place this elaborate ecosystem, do you really think a few billion people can mess it up in such a way that it is no longer habitable. I think we over-estimate ourselves. Just a thought; feel free to disagree.

Ever read "The Chronicles of Narnia"? C.S. Lewis paints a cool picture of things being called into being. Imagine if we were there to watch. I lose my breath at a good sunset; I'm not sure I could handle the awesomeness.

I see "plenty" in creation. The water "teemed" with creatures. Everything was to be "fruitful" and "increase." Sin really messed all that up.

That God made man to "rule over" all this sure feeds my manly ego complex. I'm guessing his idea of ruling is different than mine. For God, "ruling" means "taking care of."

Very good.

2.
Rest: a pattern God set for us. We are created for work and rest, just as much as the pattern for a day is day and night.

The breath of life comes from God. Hebrew language note: wind/breath/spirit = all the same word. Pneuma (like pneumonia).

Is it so bad for a woman to be a "helper suitable for man"? I think women resent it sometimes because men don't do things worthy of being helped. Sin: when you read the Bible, you become aware of it a lot. But you also learn a lot of cool things about God's response to it. I'll give you a hint: He doesn't just get mad (Hebrew way of describing when God gets angry: His "nostrils flare" - these are things I think you should know). Keep reading; you'll see.

If I ever open up a BBQ place, I'm naming it "Adam's Rib."

3.
If you're a literature fan, here's the setup. God is the protagonist, and in chapter 3 the antagonist enters: the serpent. Every good antagonist has aliases. The Serpent: a.k.a Satan, a.k.a. Lucifer, a.k.a. The Prince of This World, a.k.a. The Father of Lies, a.k.a the Devil, a.k.a. The Accuser, a.k.a. Beelzebub, a.k.a. The Undertaker. Oops, I'm slipping into wrestling and/or monster-truck names. Same difference. The worse the antagonist, the more aliases. Satan has a lot. Excuse my language, but this guy can go to hell. Oh, wait.

There's the pride thing. We want to play God, and it leads us to sin. It's cause we're not God. Write that down: "I'm not God." I wonder if the world would be a better place if we all tattooed that on our foreheads. You know, just a subtle reminder.

The curse of sin for man: hard work. For woman: painful childbirth and domineering husbands. I can't speak from experience, but I think the woman got the short end of that stick.

Still, a blessing: Eve is mother of all the living. Baby Jesus is one the way. I love Christmas, don't you?

4.
Adam and Eve slept together, but Eve gave God the credit for giving life. Life is a gift from God. Write that down. Maybe that would be a better tattoo and reminder to have.

Cain and Abel: case study in "just enough" vs. "giving from the heart." It's not about the size or cost of the offering, it's about where our hearts are. Mine's in the wrong place a lot of times; then again, God's still working on me.

Yes, Cain, you are your brother's keeper (and you definitely shouldn't kill him). If you're keeping score, that's two accounts of man sinning and two accounts of them trying to shift the blame elsewhere. Some things don't change. Try something new: If God knows you sinned and you know you sinned, just confess your sin. See what happens (hint: it will also cause a lot less problems in the long run).

When we get to the New Testament and read Jesus' geneologies, you'll see that Jesus descended from a lot of imperfect people: murderers, prostitutes, etc. Cain is one of them.

"Men began to call on the name of the Lord." This is a good thing.

5.
People used to live a long time. Are these non-literal numbers? No reason to think otherwise. Just remember: God can number our days and years as many or as few as He wants; He made us, after all.

If you're Methusaleh, how many birthday presents do you have to buy over the course of a year? And if you live to 969, at what age do you retire? 650, maybe? Oh, wait, the word "retire" as we know it is not in the Bible. I bet the guy died with a rake in his hand.

Five chapters. Actually kind of interesting, right? Let's see how long we can keep this going.