We left off yesterday with everybody scattering after they suddenly changed languages, and then we started focusing on one family. It's Terah's family, but we narrow it down further as we get into chapter 12.
Today's reading: Genesis (Beresheet) 12-14
Beresheet 12:1-3 "Now Yahuah had said to Abram: 'Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great, And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'"
How bout that? Up until now we're not really sure who Abram is, aside from his family tree. Sure, that stuff is important, but who is Abram? Whoever he was, he must have done something important to get a blessing like that! Maybe he was always faithful to Yahuah. Maybe he was just a good guy. Probably both. At any rate, Yahuah was clearly happy with him and wanted him to be great.
Beresheet 12:4 "So Abram departed as Yahuah had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Cannanites were then in the land."
It's pretty simple, Yahuah told Abram to move, so Abram moved. Abram is demonstrating a strong faith in Yahuah by leaving his family, remember how tightly knit those family units were? Also, lifespans were shortening, so 75 isn't very young anymore. So here we have an guy in... probably his late middle ages, his wife, and his nephew packing all their stuff (they may have had their servants do that part) and leaving. If my Bible atlas is anywhere near accurate (it's... not the best one they've got on the market, let's leave it at that), that means they traveled about 300 miles, just because Yahuah told them to. How's that for faith?
Beresheet 12:7-9 "Then Yahuah appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' And there he built an altar to Yahuah, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to Yahuah and called on the name of Yahuah. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South."
So Abram went and found the place where Yahuah wanted his descendants to live. That sounds pretty normal (kinda) except for one thing. Did anyone miss this? Abram doesn't have any descendants yet. Not even a son to carry on the family name. ...If they had family names back then. So far everybody's going on a first name basis, so I can't tell. Sarai can't have kids. Don't worry too much though, as you'll soon find out, when Yahuah says something is going to happen, it happens. And then they continued on south. They traveled 300 miles and yet they continue.
Beresheet 12:10 "Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land."
Now after Yah told Abram all about Canaan, why have there be a famine there that is so big that Abram has to bring Sarai and Lot to Egypt? Well, it's all part of His plan for Abram, believe it or not.
Beresheet 12:11-13 "And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, 'Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, this is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.'"
Sarai must've been truly beautiful, despite being in her mid-60's. I've a feeling though, that Yah is up to something even as Abram spoke. Since when is he scared when he knows Yahuah is on his side? He's so full of faith, and yet he worries that Sarai is too beautiful? He's preparing to lie to an entire country. That doesn't sound very faithful. But wait, Yahuah made a promise to Abram, perhaps He's just getting everything ready to fulfill it.
Beresheet 12:14-16 "So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels."
Ah-ha! Abram came into that land with nothing of particular interest except for Sarai, Lot, and his life's savings, and now he's being given a lot of animals and servants because the Pharaoh likes his "sister." It's probably kinda hard to gain respect and become a great nation when you left your father's house and didn't bring much, but now his status is being lifted by the king of Egypt. You don't give just anybody free animals and servants, but Pharaoh did.
Beresheet 12:17-20 "But Yahuah plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, "She is my sister"? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife, take her and go your way.' So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had."
Pharaoh had a point. It's not right to marry somebody else's wife. But to drive that point home, Yah plagued Pharaoh until he gave Sarai back. Not quite sure what kind of plagues they were. They could've been like the plagues in Exodus, or they could've been like the chickenpox. Either way, Pharaoh had had enough. He kicked Abram and Sarai out of Egypt and let them keep their gifts.
Beresheet 13:1-4 "Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of Yahuah."
Backtracking! Rewind! Back out of Egypt he went. Looks like he kept all the stuff Pharaoh gave him, and when added to what he already had, he became the ancient equivalent of a millionare.
Beresheet 13:5-7 "Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and ther herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land."
There's only so much grass for the animals to share. Only so much space for the servants to share. At this point, Abram practically had his own country that followed him around everywhere, and Lot was doing pretty good too. Unfortunately, they needed their space. Their servants had problems getting along because the animals all had to share the same space, and they were both just too rich to stay together without problems.
Beresheet 13:8-9 "So Abram said to Lot, 'Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.'"
Abram did the responsible thing. It may have hurt, after all, they were family, but it was the right thing. They can probably still visit each other, but they won't be in close enough proximity for their servants to bother one another.
Beresheet 13:10-13 "And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before Yahuah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of Yahuah, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against Yahuah."
Sometimes when writing a book, an author will add little hints here and there pertaining to what will be happening in a character's future. That technique is called foreshadowing. The trick is to be very very subtle. Sometimes readers will catch it, sometimes they won't. What was done here in verse 10 is not foreshadowing.
Beresheet 13:14 "And Yahuah said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: 'Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are - northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.'"
When I was little, my favorite Disney movie was The Lion King. There's a scene in the movie that reminds me of this passage. In it, the sun is shining over the entire savannah. Simba and Mufasa are sitting on top of Pride Rock, and Mufasa's telling Simba about his responsibilities as king. One line in particular is embedded into my memory: "Everything the light touches, that's our kingdom." "Everything the light touches? Woah." I imagine Abram probably felt like Simba did right there. Simply in awe.
Beresheet 13:18 "Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahuah."
If you've noticed, thus far altars are used for worship and for thanks.
In Beresheet 14:1-12, you read of an epic battle between kings, and how Lot was taken captive.
Beresheet 14:14 "Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people."
Can you imagine? You're a king, and you've just won this battle between yourself and a bunch of other kings. You've taken prisoners and spoils, and you're just kinda relaxing after a lot of fighting. Then, out of nowhere, in the cover of nightfall, another army who wasn't even involved in your battle comes and chases you away. Didn't see that one coming, did ya?
He then met with the kings of Salem and Sodom.
Beresheet 14:18-20 "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of Elohim Most High. And he blessed him and said 'Blessed be Abram of Elohim Most High, Possessor or heaven and earth; And blessed be Elohim Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' And he gave him a tithe of all."
Not only did Abram receive a blessing from a righteous king, but also a tithe. Next we hear from the king of Sodom.
Beresheet 14:21 "Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, 'Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.' But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have raised my hand to Yahuah, Elohim Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, "I have made Abram rich" - except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.'"
It looks like the king of Sodom is grateful to Abram, and offers him all the spoils, except for the people. Abram knows he doesn't need it, and he made a promise to Yah that he wouldn't take anything, so he didn't. Instead, he let his men take what they wanted. In the end, Abram had already gotten what he wanted, and that was Lot's safety.
Next reading is Genesis (Beresheet) 15-17.
I'm working on finding good music and other stuff for you guys to look at, but I haven't found anything for this passage. Don't worry though, there will be music and stuff coming up, just not right now.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Tower of Babel
We're reading today from Genesis (Beresheet) 10-11.
There's not a whole lot that's interesting in chapter 10, short of a couple verses, so that's why that section in here is so short. I can try to make genealogies interesting... But it rarely works because people tend to get more caught up in pronouncing the names than the section near some names that explains what that person did. I could get into what these people's names mean, and that might be pretty cool, but I'm saving that project for later books when there are a LOT of genealogies. However, when you get to take a look at these genealogies, make sure you notice the general area where each of these families settled. They're all related, but in future years there are some conflicts between them and the Israelites.
Beresheet 10:25 "To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan."
Have you ever looked at a globe? Of course you probably have, that's a silly question... But wait, have you ever really seen one? If you take a good look at any globe, you just might notice that a lot of the continents look like puzzle pieces, like maybe they fit together at some point. Maybe they did fit together once, and when Peleg was born (or around that time, at least), perhaps that's when the land separated into a bunch of different continents instead of only one. Hey, it could've happened. By the way, Peleg means "Division" according to http://www.behindthename.com/
Beresheet 11:1-2 "Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there."
If you're wondering who "they" are, you may want to check out the genealogies. Maybe they were one huge nomadic tribe that hadn't separated yet at this point, but it looks like they had a lot of people in the area, just enough to take on a gigantic project.
Beresheet 11:3 "Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar."
Seems an innocent enough undertaking. They just wanna build stuff, right? Maybe a nice city, a few houses, a giant tower... Nothing out of the ordinary. Right. Now what was that recurring theme again?
Beresheet 11:4 "And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.'"
It still sounds fairly innocent, but if you happen to take a look at this Wikipedia listing, you'll find that there are a couple different theories about this. First is that Yah was angry because the people weren't glorifying Him, they were glorifying themselves. And second is that they were building a ziggurat; a temple to a different god or set of gods. Maybe it was both. Anyways, they're in for some bitter irony.
11:5 "But Yahuah came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And Yahuah said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.'"
Ok, let's say... You and your siblings work together to do something for the first time ever, except rather than doing something like helping your mom garden or working on the car with your dad, you're filling water balloons. It seems innocent enough... Until you wind up hitting your grandpa with one. Big trouble. Your grandpa takes it in stride, even tossing a couple back at you, but you and your siblings get sent to different rooms not to come out until later. That evening when your dad is talking to your mom and you happen to be listening at the door, you hear "They are finally working together and they do this?" Your mom says "How in the world am I supposed to teach them how to behave when they act up like this? How do I know that next week they won't be spray painting buildings?" "Dear, that's an awfully big jump, it was just a water balloon." She sighs and said "I know... I just... Never know what they're going to do next. They need limits." Then you hear footsteps coming up to the door and you run back to your room before they catch you listening.
Beresheet 11:7 "'Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.'"
Anybody else ever wonder who He's talking to when He's saying "Us"? Hmm... Angels, maybe?
Beresheet 11:8 "So Yahuah scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth and they ceased building the city."
There's some irony for you. They started building specifically so as not to get scattered, and what happens? They scatter.
Beresheet 11:9 "Therefore its name is called Babel, because there Yahuah confused the language of all the earth; and from there Yahuah scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."
Interesting play on names there; the place where there was probably more confusion than ever before or since gets called Babel? What modern word does that sound kinda like? Babble, right? Hmm...
You'll notice during the rest of chapter 11, that there is yet another interesting thing going on during the genealogy bits. Shem lived to be 600. Arphaxad lived to be 438. Salah lived to be 433. Eber lived to be 464. Peleg lived to be 239. Reu lived to be 239. Serug lived to be 230. Nahor lived to be 148. Terah lived to be 205. Did you notice that their lifespans are steadily decreasing over the passage of time? That brings us back to Beresheet 6:3 "And Yahuah said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'" We're getting closer and closer to a new lifespan of 120 years rather than the old ones of over 900.
Next reading is from Genesis (Beresheet) 12-14
In the meantime, look up pictures of the towers in Dubai. How's that for tall?
There's not a whole lot that's interesting in chapter 10, short of a couple verses, so that's why that section in here is so short. I can try to make genealogies interesting... But it rarely works because people tend to get more caught up in pronouncing the names than the section near some names that explains what that person did. I could get into what these people's names mean, and that might be pretty cool, but I'm saving that project for later books when there are a LOT of genealogies. However, when you get to take a look at these genealogies, make sure you notice the general area where each of these families settled. They're all related, but in future years there are some conflicts between them and the Israelites.
Beresheet 10:25 "To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan."
Have you ever looked at a globe? Of course you probably have, that's a silly question... But wait, have you ever really seen one? If you take a good look at any globe, you just might notice that a lot of the continents look like puzzle pieces, like maybe they fit together at some point. Maybe they did fit together once, and when Peleg was born (or around that time, at least), perhaps that's when the land separated into a bunch of different continents instead of only one. Hey, it could've happened. By the way, Peleg means "Division" according to http://www.behindthename.com/
Beresheet 11:1-2 "Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there."
If you're wondering who "they" are, you may want to check out the genealogies. Maybe they were one huge nomadic tribe that hadn't separated yet at this point, but it looks like they had a lot of people in the area, just enough to take on a gigantic project.
Beresheet 11:3 "Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar."
Seems an innocent enough undertaking. They just wanna build stuff, right? Maybe a nice city, a few houses, a giant tower... Nothing out of the ordinary. Right. Now what was that recurring theme again?
Beresheet 11:4 "And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.'"
It still sounds fairly innocent, but if you happen to take a look at this Wikipedia listing, you'll find that there are a couple different theories about this. First is that Yah was angry because the people weren't glorifying Him, they were glorifying themselves. And second is that they were building a ziggurat; a temple to a different god or set of gods. Maybe it was both. Anyways, they're in for some bitter irony.
11:5 "But Yahuah came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And Yahuah said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.'"
Ok, let's say... You and your siblings work together to do something for the first time ever, except rather than doing something like helping your mom garden or working on the car with your dad, you're filling water balloons. It seems innocent enough... Until you wind up hitting your grandpa with one. Big trouble. Your grandpa takes it in stride, even tossing a couple back at you, but you and your siblings get sent to different rooms not to come out until later. That evening when your dad is talking to your mom and you happen to be listening at the door, you hear "They are finally working together and they do this?" Your mom says "How in the world am I supposed to teach them how to behave when they act up like this? How do I know that next week they won't be spray painting buildings?" "Dear, that's an awfully big jump, it was just a water balloon." She sighs and said "I know... I just... Never know what they're going to do next. They need limits." Then you hear footsteps coming up to the door and you run back to your room before they catch you listening.
Beresheet 11:7 "'Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.'"
Anybody else ever wonder who He's talking to when He's saying "Us"? Hmm... Angels, maybe?
Beresheet 11:8 "So Yahuah scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth and they ceased building the city."
There's some irony for you. They started building specifically so as not to get scattered, and what happens? They scatter.
Beresheet 11:9 "Therefore its name is called Babel, because there Yahuah confused the language of all the earth; and from there Yahuah scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."
Interesting play on names there; the place where there was probably more confusion than ever before or since gets called Babel? What modern word does that sound kinda like? Babble, right? Hmm...
You'll notice during the rest of chapter 11, that there is yet another interesting thing going on during the genealogy bits. Shem lived to be 600. Arphaxad lived to be 438. Salah lived to be 433. Eber lived to be 464. Peleg lived to be 239. Reu lived to be 239. Serug lived to be 230. Nahor lived to be 148. Terah lived to be 205. Did you notice that their lifespans are steadily decreasing over the passage of time? That brings us back to Beresheet 6:3 "And Yahuah said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'" We're getting closer and closer to a new lifespan of 120 years rather than the old ones of over 900.
Next reading is from Genesis (Beresheet) 12-14
In the meantime, look up pictures of the towers in Dubai. How's that for tall?
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Noah's Ark
Today's reading is Genesis (Beresheet) 6-9.
Noah's Ark.
We've all heard this story a million times... God gets mad at the world, but Noah was faithful to Him, so He tells Noah to build a huge boat, and animals come in, two by two. Cue the rain. 40 days later, the boat lands and the animals file out. A rainbow shows up in the sky and all is good again. Why have we heard this story so often? It's pretty much plastered all over baby and kid stuff. That doesn't mean it's a baby and kid story though. Just about the only kid friendly part is the fuzzy animals. And not all the animals in the ark were cute and fuzzy! The other parts involve a very precise way of building this ark, the flood which killed everybody and everything (short of who was in the ark, and the fish) and having to start all over.
Let's start with Beresheet 6:5 "Then Yahuah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Let this go to show that He can see not only your actions, but your heart. If you do good deeds with a bad heart, He will know, even if no one else does. It's important to make sure that your heart is good. You may have to wrestle with your subconscious, but it's worth it in the end.
Beresheet 6:6 "And Yahuah was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So Yahuah said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found grace in the eyes of Yahuah."
When we mess up, the very worst thing for our parents to think is that they're sorry they had us. That's what Yah was thinking right then. Yahuah wasn't mad, He was sad. Grieved in His heart. He probably couldn't bear to look at us. Then Noah showed Him that even when the world is full of evil, there's still someone with a good heart.
Beresheet 6:14-15a "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it:..."
Did you know that the word "ark" means box? Not boat? Think about it... What do you suppose the ark of the covenant is? A boat, or a box? Pretty sure it's a box. Yahuah was having Noah build a giant box. A container, if you will. To hold particular things of utmost importance. Things like... Noah's family and a bunch of animals. Why just them? Quite simply, in the long run, nothing else really matters.
Beresheet 6:17-19 "And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark - you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female."
Here, Yah is doing two things. First, he's cleaning up the mess the people made, and second, he's saving Noah, his family, and two of each kind of animal. Preparing to repopulate the earth after the clean-sweep. He also tells Noah to pack a lot of food for his family and for the animals. It'll be awhile and we can't have species dying out because the lions got hungry.
Beresheet 7:2-3 "You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth."
With the clean and unclean business comes the laws of kosher food. To be kosher, a fish has to have fins and scales (but I don't think we're too worried about fish here in this context), an animal has to have split hooves and chew its cud (which means it eats some grass or other green stuff, it goes through one of it's stomachs, comes back up, gets eaten again, and the cycle continues), and a bird... There are some very specific laws about birds that I don't recall off the top of my head. Main rule of thumb though, if it lives on land and eats meat, it's not kosher.
Beresheet 7:5-6 "And Noah did according to all that Yahuah had commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth."
Can you imagine? Nowadays, we're lucky to make it to 100, but Noah was living in an ark at 600. Not only that, but he was building a giant box during his late 500s. I can imagine his neighbors thought he was some crazy old coot. I mean, if he told them it was going to rain, they'd have no idea what he's talking about. It says earlier in Genesis that it didn't rain, instead a mist came up from the earth and watered everything. So if he says there's gonna be a sudden downpour out of the sky, and he's building the ark to save his family and all the animals, what do you think the other people would say?
Beresheet 7:11-12 "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights."
So much for what his neighbors said. Main thing here is, when you're doing a good deed, don't worry about what people say about you. Worry more that you finish the job on time.
7:23-24 "So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days."
Can you imagine being stuck in a giant boat/box for five months? But don't worry, you're not alone, you've got your entire family with you, as well as more animals than you've ever seen in any park. It's a good thing families were really tight knit back then, but even so, they must've wanted space once in awhile. It was probably pretty interesting, but on those days when it got really frustrating and you needed time alone, you just gotta remind yourself, hanging out in a floating zoo is better than the alternative.
8:1 "Then Elohim remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And Elohim made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided."
8:4 "Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat."
It doesn't say it rested near the mountains, not next to or in, but on the mountains. That was a really deep flood to land a boat/box on top of a mountain range! If you watch the Discovery Channel (or maybe it's the History Channel), every once in a blue moon, you may find that a batch of explorers went looking for the ark. Some people have found wood where wood might not naturally be, but no one's actually found an ark yet. Do you think the ark would last this long? Or do you think it would have rotted away a long time ago? Either way, it's been the dream of more than a couple explorers and archaeologists to find it.
8:6-8 "So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from hinself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground."
At this point, Noah's about ready to leave the ark, but he wants to make sure that when he leaves, the first step out won't be into the giant ocean that the world became. Birds like ravens and doves naturally don't care to fly too much over open water because they catch their food and rest on land. That's probably why he didn't send out a pelican!
8:9-12 "But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore."
Noah was essentially sending the dove out to be his scout. If the dove hadn't flown back with the olive leaf, when do you suppose Noah would've come out? Also, we probably had some either really happy or really unhappy plant life at that time; being completely covered in water isn't exactly something most plants and trees are used to.
8:13-17 "And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. Then Yah spoke to Noah, saying, 'Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.'"
You know that feeling... When you first get home after a long camping trip, or when you go to see a relative that loves you dearly, or when you finally see your best friend whom you haven't seen in what seems like forever? That feeling of... relief, of joy, of an anticipated moment finally taking place. That's probably what Noah and his family felt like when they first stepped out of that ark.
8:20 "Then Noah built an altar to Yahuah, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And Yahuah smelled a soothing aroma. Then Yahuah said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.'"
Noah gave Yah a "thank you for keeping us alive" sacrifice and Yahuah made a promise that we remember to this day via an important symbol that is coming up in just a moment.
9:12-13 "And Yah said: 'This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth."
Even to this day, the rainbow signifies that Yahuah will never kill everyone and everything with a flood again. It's more of a reminder to us than to Him, since He probably remembers it like it was yesterday.
Read on:
Tomorrow we're reading from Genesis (Beresheet) 10-11. I'd have stopped at the end of 8 today like I was supposed to, except it kinda tore the story in half.
Listen up:
"Starting Over" by Audio Adrenaline
Noah's Ark.
We've all heard this story a million times... God gets mad at the world, but Noah was faithful to Him, so He tells Noah to build a huge boat, and animals come in, two by two. Cue the rain. 40 days later, the boat lands and the animals file out. A rainbow shows up in the sky and all is good again. Why have we heard this story so often? It's pretty much plastered all over baby and kid stuff. That doesn't mean it's a baby and kid story though. Just about the only kid friendly part is the fuzzy animals. And not all the animals in the ark were cute and fuzzy! The other parts involve a very precise way of building this ark, the flood which killed everybody and everything (short of who was in the ark, and the fish) and having to start all over.
Let's start with Beresheet 6:5 "Then Yahuah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Let this go to show that He can see not only your actions, but your heart. If you do good deeds with a bad heart, He will know, even if no one else does. It's important to make sure that your heart is good. You may have to wrestle with your subconscious, but it's worth it in the end.
Beresheet 6:6 "And Yahuah was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So Yahuah said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found grace in the eyes of Yahuah."
When we mess up, the very worst thing for our parents to think is that they're sorry they had us. That's what Yah was thinking right then. Yahuah wasn't mad, He was sad. Grieved in His heart. He probably couldn't bear to look at us. Then Noah showed Him that even when the world is full of evil, there's still someone with a good heart.
Beresheet 6:14-15a "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it:..."
Did you know that the word "ark" means box? Not boat? Think about it... What do you suppose the ark of the covenant is? A boat, or a box? Pretty sure it's a box. Yahuah was having Noah build a giant box. A container, if you will. To hold particular things of utmost importance. Things like... Noah's family and a bunch of animals. Why just them? Quite simply, in the long run, nothing else really matters.
Beresheet 6:17-19 "And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark - you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female."
Here, Yah is doing two things. First, he's cleaning up the mess the people made, and second, he's saving Noah, his family, and two of each kind of animal. Preparing to repopulate the earth after the clean-sweep. He also tells Noah to pack a lot of food for his family and for the animals. It'll be awhile and we can't have species dying out because the lions got hungry.
Beresheet 7:2-3 "You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth."
With the clean and unclean business comes the laws of kosher food. To be kosher, a fish has to have fins and scales (but I don't think we're too worried about fish here in this context), an animal has to have split hooves and chew its cud (which means it eats some grass or other green stuff, it goes through one of it's stomachs, comes back up, gets eaten again, and the cycle continues), and a bird... There are some very specific laws about birds that I don't recall off the top of my head. Main rule of thumb though, if it lives on land and eats meat, it's not kosher.
Beresheet 7:5-6 "And Noah did according to all that Yahuah had commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth."
Can you imagine? Nowadays, we're lucky to make it to 100, but Noah was living in an ark at 600. Not only that, but he was building a giant box during his late 500s. I can imagine his neighbors thought he was some crazy old coot. I mean, if he told them it was going to rain, they'd have no idea what he's talking about. It says earlier in Genesis that it didn't rain, instead a mist came up from the earth and watered everything. So if he says there's gonna be a sudden downpour out of the sky, and he's building the ark to save his family and all the animals, what do you think the other people would say?
Beresheet 7:11-12 "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights."
So much for what his neighbors said. Main thing here is, when you're doing a good deed, don't worry about what people say about you. Worry more that you finish the job on time.
7:23-24 "So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days."
Can you imagine being stuck in a giant boat/box for five months? But don't worry, you're not alone, you've got your entire family with you, as well as more animals than you've ever seen in any park. It's a good thing families were really tight knit back then, but even so, they must've wanted space once in awhile. It was probably pretty interesting, but on those days when it got really frustrating and you needed time alone, you just gotta remind yourself, hanging out in a floating zoo is better than the alternative.
8:1 "Then Elohim remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And Elohim made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided."
8:4 "Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat."
It doesn't say it rested near the mountains, not next to or in, but on the mountains. That was a really deep flood to land a boat/box on top of a mountain range! If you watch the Discovery Channel (or maybe it's the History Channel), every once in a blue moon, you may find that a batch of explorers went looking for the ark. Some people have found wood where wood might not naturally be, but no one's actually found an ark yet. Do you think the ark would last this long? Or do you think it would have rotted away a long time ago? Either way, it's been the dream of more than a couple explorers and archaeologists to find it.
8:6-8 "So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from hinself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground."
At this point, Noah's about ready to leave the ark, but he wants to make sure that when he leaves, the first step out won't be into the giant ocean that the world became. Birds like ravens and doves naturally don't care to fly too much over open water because they catch their food and rest on land. That's probably why he didn't send out a pelican!
8:9-12 "But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore."
Noah was essentially sending the dove out to be his scout. If the dove hadn't flown back with the olive leaf, when do you suppose Noah would've come out? Also, we probably had some either really happy or really unhappy plant life at that time; being completely covered in water isn't exactly something most plants and trees are used to.
8:13-17 "And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. Then Yah spoke to Noah, saying, 'Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.'"
You know that feeling... When you first get home after a long camping trip, or when you go to see a relative that loves you dearly, or when you finally see your best friend whom you haven't seen in what seems like forever? That feeling of... relief, of joy, of an anticipated moment finally taking place. That's probably what Noah and his family felt like when they first stepped out of that ark.
8:20 "Then Noah built an altar to Yahuah, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And Yahuah smelled a soothing aroma. Then Yahuah said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.'"
Noah gave Yah a "thank you for keeping us alive" sacrifice and Yahuah made a promise that we remember to this day via an important symbol that is coming up in just a moment.
9:12-13 "And Yah said: 'This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth."
Even to this day, the rainbow signifies that Yahuah will never kill everyone and everything with a flood again. It's more of a reminder to us than to Him, since He probably remembers it like it was yesterday.
Read on:
Tomorrow we're reading from Genesis (Beresheet) 10-11. I'd have stopped at the end of 8 today like I was supposed to, except it kinda tore the story in half.
Listen up:
"Starting Over" by Audio Adrenaline
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Our First Shabbat of the Year
Shalom!
Well, now that you know what I'm up to, let's cut to the chase, shall we?
Vocab:
Shabbat = Sabbath
Shalom = Peace, hello, goodbye
Shabbat Shalom = May you have a peaceful sabbath
Genesis 4-5
Beresheet 4:3-5 "And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to Yahuah. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And Yahuah respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell."
How about a game of What's Wrong With This Picture? In order to do that, we'd better make a more vivid image for you. Ok, so Cain and Abel both decided to make a sacrifice to Yahuah. We don't hear of their parents doing this, so maybe Cain and Abel were trying harder to get on better terms with Yahuah than them. Anyway, "Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground." So he was probably tilling the land and he may have come up with some food that he didn't necessarily want, so he offered that, rather than the best that he had. Abel on the other hand, "brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat." He brought his very first lamb. He was probably pretty proud of that lamb, seeing as it meant that his flock was happy, but he gave it up. He was a shepherd, shepherds don't just give lambs up, but he did. Yahuah was happy with Abel, but unhappy with Cain. Cain was ticked. Abel may have been oblivious to his brother's unhappiness, it's hard to say. At any rate, the very first sibling rivalry was well on it's course and ready to spill blood.
Beresheet 4:6-7 "So Yahuah said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.'"
Yahuah is trying to explain to Cain that the way to be accepted and praised by Him is to do a good job. Easy enough. But he's also showing that if he doesn't do a good job, sin and temptation will reach for him, even though he should be able to conquer it. After all, all Cain wanted in the first place was to be accepted and praised again, right? ...Or was he trying to one-up his brother?
Beresheet 4:8 "Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him."
Do you suppose Cain was tricking Abel into following him into the field? That he knew what he was going to do, despite being the trusted big brother? Yet another question; did he know that whatever he planned on doing to Abel would kill him? It doesn't look like anyone else has died up to this point, maybe he didn't know that by doing what he did, he'd lose his brother forever.
Beresheet 4:9 "Then Yahuah said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?'"
Just for future reference, Yahuah asked a rhetorical question. He knew where Abel was, as you'll soon find out. Oh, and another thing, siblings are always each other's keepers. If you're a big brother or sister, part of your job is to help watch over your siblings. You know the rules, maybe better than they do, so you can keep them out of trouble and take care of them. You may find this surprising, but they just might be more willing to listen to what you have to say than to what your parents have to say. That sort of depends on how much trust you've built up over the years, though.
Beresheet 4:10-12 "And He said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.'"
Cain just got demoted. He can't really farm anymore because the ground won't grow the best anymore. He's doomed to be on the run.
Beresheet 4:13-14 "And Cain said to Yahuah, 'My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely you have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.'"
Maybe he did know what death was originally. He's afraid that he's going to die by the hand of the next person who sees him.
Beresheet 4:15 "And Yahuah said to him, 'Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.' And Yahuah set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him."
He understood Cain's fear and made it so no one who finds him will kill him. What that mark looked like, I'll probably never know, but it must have been something to really drum it into the other people's heads that if you find this guy, you don't want to mess with him because something a lot worse is gonna happen to you.
Beresheet 4:25-26 "And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, 'For Elohim has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.' And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of Yahuah."
I've got one question; When did men stop calling on His name? You'd think that since Yahuah was still very present on the earth, they wouldn't stop. Would they? Once again comes that recurring theme, people like breaking rules. But fortunately, they started up again on calling on His name at about the time of Seth and Enosh. How long do you suppose it's going to last?
Beresheet 5:21-24 "Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with Yah three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with Yah; and he was not, for Elohim took him."
What do you suppose that last sentence means? I take it to mean that Yahuah loved Enoch and his company so much that he didn't let Enoch die like all the rest, instead, he took him to a place where he would never die. I could be wrong, of course, but still.
Next reading is Genesis (Beresheet) 6-9
Shabbat Shalom!
Well, now that you know what I'm up to, let's cut to the chase, shall we?
Vocab:
Shabbat = Sabbath
Shalom = Peace, hello, goodbye
Shabbat Shalom = May you have a peaceful sabbath
Genesis 4-5
Beresheet 4:3-5 "And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to Yahuah. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And Yahuah respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell."
How about a game of What's Wrong With This Picture? In order to do that, we'd better make a more vivid image for you. Ok, so Cain and Abel both decided to make a sacrifice to Yahuah. We don't hear of their parents doing this, so maybe Cain and Abel were trying harder to get on better terms with Yahuah than them. Anyway, "Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground." So he was probably tilling the land and he may have come up with some food that he didn't necessarily want, so he offered that, rather than the best that he had. Abel on the other hand, "brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat." He brought his very first lamb. He was probably pretty proud of that lamb, seeing as it meant that his flock was happy, but he gave it up. He was a shepherd, shepherds don't just give lambs up, but he did. Yahuah was happy with Abel, but unhappy with Cain. Cain was ticked. Abel may have been oblivious to his brother's unhappiness, it's hard to say. At any rate, the very first sibling rivalry was well on it's course and ready to spill blood.
Beresheet 4:6-7 "So Yahuah said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.'"
Yahuah is trying to explain to Cain that the way to be accepted and praised by Him is to do a good job. Easy enough. But he's also showing that if he doesn't do a good job, sin and temptation will reach for him, even though he should be able to conquer it. After all, all Cain wanted in the first place was to be accepted and praised again, right? ...Or was he trying to one-up his brother?
Beresheet 4:8 "Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him."
Do you suppose Cain was tricking Abel into following him into the field? That he knew what he was going to do, despite being the trusted big brother? Yet another question; did he know that whatever he planned on doing to Abel would kill him? It doesn't look like anyone else has died up to this point, maybe he didn't know that by doing what he did, he'd lose his brother forever.
Beresheet 4:9 "Then Yahuah said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?'"
Just for future reference, Yahuah asked a rhetorical question. He knew where Abel was, as you'll soon find out. Oh, and another thing, siblings are always each other's keepers. If you're a big brother or sister, part of your job is to help watch over your siblings. You know the rules, maybe better than they do, so you can keep them out of trouble and take care of them. You may find this surprising, but they just might be more willing to listen to what you have to say than to what your parents have to say. That sort of depends on how much trust you've built up over the years, though.
Beresheet 4:10-12 "And He said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.'"
Cain just got demoted. He can't really farm anymore because the ground won't grow the best anymore. He's doomed to be on the run.
Beresheet 4:13-14 "And Cain said to Yahuah, 'My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely you have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.'"
Maybe he did know what death was originally. He's afraid that he's going to die by the hand of the next person who sees him.
Beresheet 4:15 "And Yahuah said to him, 'Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.' And Yahuah set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him."
He understood Cain's fear and made it so no one who finds him will kill him. What that mark looked like, I'll probably never know, but it must have been something to really drum it into the other people's heads that if you find this guy, you don't want to mess with him because something a lot worse is gonna happen to you.
Beresheet 4:25-26 "And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, 'For Elohim has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.' And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of Yahuah."
I've got one question; When did men stop calling on His name? You'd think that since Yahuah was still very present on the earth, they wouldn't stop. Would they? Once again comes that recurring theme, people like breaking rules. But fortunately, they started up again on calling on His name at about the time of Seth and Enosh. How long do you suppose it's going to last?
Beresheet 5:21-24 "Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with Yah three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with Yah; and he was not, for Elohim took him."
What do you suppose that last sentence means? I take it to mean that Yahuah loved Enoch and his company so much that he didn't let Enoch die like all the rest, instead, he took him to a place where he would never die. I could be wrong, of course, but still.
Next reading is Genesis (Beresheet) 6-9
Shabbat Shalom!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Let's Start With the Beginning, Shall We?
First thing I should let you in on is that I'm following the 365 days a year reading plan in my Bible. It's an easy way to stay on track.
Second thing is that since I'm Messianic, I tend to use the Hebrew names for things. I'll include a section of vocab which explains what I'm saying, but I figured I should let you know what's up.
Third thing is that when I list a reading, like today's Genesis 1-3, I mean to read until the end of the chapter three, not end at the beginning of chapter three.
Let's get started!
Some quick vocab first:
Genesis = Beresheet = "In the beginning"
God = Elohim, El, or Yah
The Lord = Yahuah
Here's what I'm going to be doing here, I'm going to be pulling some interesting verses out and asking what you think of them. You can write answers in the comments box if you like, or you can just ponder them. Either way, as long as I get you thinking, that's all that really matters.
Beresheet 1:1 "In the beginning Yah created the heavens and the earth."
Wouldn't you say that means He made everything? Even the "man-made materials" in your clothes? I'm pretty sure He's the only one who has ever made something out of nothing. He made you. He made your best friend. He made your parents, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your pet, everything. And that which he did not make, he made the materials for and created the inspiration within the artists and inventors for it. Musical instruments, hair stuff, jewelry, everything you have ever touched, everything you have ever seen, everyone you have ever met, was made by Him. It's really quite something when you think about it.
He made light and darkness. He made the sky and the sea and the land. He made the plants and the animals. He made the moon, stars, and sun in the sky. And he made man.
Beresheet 1:26 "Then Yah said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"
He made a wonderful, beautiful planet out of nothing, and then gave it to men to take care of. I could get all into a frenzied rant about how we've messed up that job a long time ago, but I don't plan on it. Instead, I'd rather go in a different direction and discuss how He made us. He made us in His image. Basically, we look vaguely like Him. Maybe a lot like Him. Either way, there's probably a family resemblance. Can you believe it? Somehow, you look like the King of the Universe. Maybe it's physically looking like Him; maybe it's in your heart. But from the very beginning of time, we've got something in common with Him other than being His creation.
Beresheet 2:2-3 "And on the seventh day Yah ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then Yah blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which Yah had created and made."
Think about it... What day is known best as the day of rest? Sunday, right? Take a look at any calendar. Is Sunday the seventh day of the week? No? Which one is? What should you be doing on the seventh day?
Beresheet 2:16-17 "And Yahuah Elohim commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
As far as I know, Adam and Eve were given one rule. That was it. What's one recurring theme in the Bible? Actually, what's one recurring theme in life? People like breaking rules. Not really sure why; maybe it's the thrill of getting away with it, but can you really break a rule like that without consequences?
Beresheet 2:18 "And Yahuah Elohim said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
By that, he means he'll make Eve. But wait, does this mean that Eve is doomed to be a second-class citizen? A mere helper? That's a wonderful start for being a girl, right? Hang on a sec, before you get caught up in womens' rights and feminism and all that, think about the last three words of that sentence. Eve (and women) was created to be comparable to Adam (and men). Essentially, that means we're equals in Yah's eyes. But hang on, what about the whole "helper" thing? I got a copy of The Dictionary from the same people who made my Bible, and they have a definition of this sort of helper under "woman." "Man is incomplete without woman. Because she is called a 'helper' does not imply that she is inferior to man. The same Hebrew word translated as helper is used of God in His relationship to Israel (Ps. 33:20; 70:5)." (pg 414) Come on girls, we're not inferior to guys, we're equal. Not only that, they need us! But we need them too. It's kinda one of those symbiotic relationship things you learn about in science or biology or whatever.
We pretty much know about how the serpent tempted Eve and she and Adam ate some of the forbidden fruit, but what kind of serpent do you think he was? I'm guessing some sort of lizard, since it says on 3:14b "On your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust all the days of your life." That implies that the serpent wasn't originally a leg-less creature.
Beresheet 3:24 "So he drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."
Wait a second, didn't Yahuah say, not two chapters ago, that he would kill whoever ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Why aren't Adam and Eve pushing up daisies already? As you'll learn in future Bible stories, not to mention life, Yah is very merciful. He's willing to give us all a second chance. Also, Adam and Eve were practically his children. It's hard to imagine a father killing his children because they broke a rule, even a really important one like that. Instead, like a good father, he disciplined them by kicking them out of the garden and making sure they're not allowed in again by having angels and a flaming sword guard the entrance and the tree of life. Can you imagine? Swords weren't even invented yet, let alone flaming ones that turn in all directions! That kinda blows Excalibur right out of the water, doesn't it? But hey, it's better than instantaneous death! In the end though, they did die. They weren't allowed to gain immortality via munching on the fruit from the tree of life. In a way, Yah did kill them for eating from the tree of knowledge, but it didn't happen as immediately as He said it would. He gave them both full, long lives (you'll find out soon that Adam lived to be over 900!) and a long life is definitely better than instant death.
Anyways, that's all I've got in the reading for today. As for other stuff though...
Music for you to check out:
Second thing is that since I'm Messianic, I tend to use the Hebrew names for things. I'll include a section of vocab which explains what I'm saying, but I figured I should let you know what's up.
Third thing is that when I list a reading, like today's Genesis 1-3, I mean to read until the end of the chapter three, not end at the beginning of chapter three.
Let's get started!
Some quick vocab first:
Genesis = Beresheet = "In the beginning"
God = Elohim, El, or Yah
The Lord = Yahuah
Here's what I'm going to be doing here, I'm going to be pulling some interesting verses out and asking what you think of them. You can write answers in the comments box if you like, or you can just ponder them. Either way, as long as I get you thinking, that's all that really matters.
Beresheet 1:1 "In the beginning Yah created the heavens and the earth."
Wouldn't you say that means He made everything? Even the "man-made materials" in your clothes? I'm pretty sure He's the only one who has ever made something out of nothing. He made you. He made your best friend. He made your parents, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your pet, everything. And that which he did not make, he made the materials for and created the inspiration within the artists and inventors for it. Musical instruments, hair stuff, jewelry, everything you have ever touched, everything you have ever seen, everyone you have ever met, was made by Him. It's really quite something when you think about it.
He made light and darkness. He made the sky and the sea and the land. He made the plants and the animals. He made the moon, stars, and sun in the sky. And he made man.
Beresheet 1:26 "Then Yah said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"
He made a wonderful, beautiful planet out of nothing, and then gave it to men to take care of. I could get all into a frenzied rant about how we've messed up that job a long time ago, but I don't plan on it. Instead, I'd rather go in a different direction and discuss how He made us. He made us in His image. Basically, we look vaguely like Him. Maybe a lot like Him. Either way, there's probably a family resemblance. Can you believe it? Somehow, you look like the King of the Universe. Maybe it's physically looking like Him; maybe it's in your heart. But from the very beginning of time, we've got something in common with Him other than being His creation.
Beresheet 2:2-3 "And on the seventh day Yah ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then Yah blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which Yah had created and made."
Think about it... What day is known best as the day of rest? Sunday, right? Take a look at any calendar. Is Sunday the seventh day of the week? No? Which one is? What should you be doing on the seventh day?
Beresheet 2:16-17 "And Yahuah Elohim commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
As far as I know, Adam and Eve were given one rule. That was it. What's one recurring theme in the Bible? Actually, what's one recurring theme in life? People like breaking rules. Not really sure why; maybe it's the thrill of getting away with it, but can you really break a rule like that without consequences?
Beresheet 2:18 "And Yahuah Elohim said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
By that, he means he'll make Eve. But wait, does this mean that Eve is doomed to be a second-class citizen? A mere helper? That's a wonderful start for being a girl, right? Hang on a sec, before you get caught up in womens' rights and feminism and all that, think about the last three words of that sentence. Eve (and women) was created to be comparable to Adam (and men). Essentially, that means we're equals in Yah's eyes. But hang on, what about the whole "helper" thing? I got a copy of The Dictionary from the same people who made my Bible, and they have a definition of this sort of helper under "woman." "Man is incomplete without woman. Because she is called a 'helper' does not imply that she is inferior to man. The same Hebrew word translated as helper is used of God in His relationship to Israel (Ps. 33:20; 70:5)." (pg 414) Come on girls, we're not inferior to guys, we're equal. Not only that, they need us! But we need them too. It's kinda one of those symbiotic relationship things you learn about in science or biology or whatever.
We pretty much know about how the serpent tempted Eve and she and Adam ate some of the forbidden fruit, but what kind of serpent do you think he was? I'm guessing some sort of lizard, since it says on 3:14b "On your belly you shall go and you shall eat dust all the days of your life." That implies that the serpent wasn't originally a leg-less creature.
Beresheet 3:24 "So he drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."
Wait a second, didn't Yahuah say, not two chapters ago, that he would kill whoever ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Why aren't Adam and Eve pushing up daisies already? As you'll learn in future Bible stories, not to mention life, Yah is very merciful. He's willing to give us all a second chance. Also, Adam and Eve were practically his children. It's hard to imagine a father killing his children because they broke a rule, even a really important one like that. Instead, like a good father, he disciplined them by kicking them out of the garden and making sure they're not allowed in again by having angels and a flaming sword guard the entrance and the tree of life. Can you imagine? Swords weren't even invented yet, let alone flaming ones that turn in all directions! That kinda blows Excalibur right out of the water, doesn't it? But hey, it's better than instantaneous death! In the end though, they did die. They weren't allowed to gain immortality via munching on the fruit from the tree of life. In a way, Yah did kill them for eating from the tree of knowledge, but it didn't happen as immediately as He said it would. He gave them both full, long lives (you'll find out soon that Adam lived to be over 900!) and a long life is definitely better than instant death.
Anyways, that's all I've got in the reading for today. As for other stuff though...
Music for you to check out:
- "Everything is Glorious" -David Crowder Band
- "More" -Matthew West
Happy New Year!
Hello!
With a New Year comes resolutions and my resolution was to write a new blog daily.
But I've already got two blogs I don't update nearly often enough, why is this one so special?
This one's special because I've challenged myself to try and make the entire Bible interesting. Come on, tell the truth, when's the last time you found that book exciting? Interesting? ...Tell me it isn't collecting dust on your shelf... *Gasp!* You haven't even bought one? Well it's been the number one best seller for several hundred, if not a couple thousand years, so you might want to follow the crowd on this one and get one. (I highly recommend the NKJV Extreme Teen Bible by Nelson Bibles. They're out of print though, so check Amazon, Ebay, or Alibris.)
My main goal here is to make it interesting for teenagers. Why do I think I can do that? What qualifies me to even attempt to make anything interesting to teenagers? Well, I'm a teenager myself, and even though I don't know a whole lot of other teens, I've got an idea of what makes us tick. I'm no fancy biblical scholar, I didn't attend classes on the subject (other than the ones at my church) and I'm not even really Christian. Or Jewish. I'm a mix! It's called Messianic, and it basically means that I observe the festivals outlined in the Bible while also believing that the Messiah already came once and is going to come again. More on that later.
How do I plan on making this particular book interesting? It was written forever ago, nothing in there is the new shiny thing that teens love so much. But wait... Ever heard of The Prince of Egypt? It's a movie that Dreamworks made a few years ago, back when everything was on VHS tapes. They made the story of Moses and the Exodus very very interesting by showing you what happened. Sure, they varied from the story now and then, but overall it was pretty darn close. What about musicians and bands? Ever heard the song "Flood" by Jars of Clay? Listen to it. It's also one of the psalms in the Bible, which I'll talk about when we get there. They've got plenty of books on the subject as well, but... They're usually not all that great. Either they're really boring or they've got vaguely biblical themes that are simply drenched in magic and other stuff that isn't biblical at all.
My goal is not to be the old professor who's lost touch with the younger crowd.
My goal is not to force feed knowledge into teenager's brains. They don't like that.
My goal is to use popular culture, things that teens love, movies and music, sometimes books, to show that the bible is in fact, very interesting.
My goal is to reinspire them. Get them thinking about what they're doing and how they can stay on that tightrope, or grab back on if they've slipped.
Also, I know religion and Bible stuff in general is a very touchy subject, so if you don't like what I'm saying, you don't have to read this.
With a New Year comes resolutions and my resolution was to write a new blog daily.
But I've already got two blogs I don't update nearly often enough, why is this one so special?
This one's special because I've challenged myself to try and make the entire Bible interesting. Come on, tell the truth, when's the last time you found that book exciting? Interesting? ...Tell me it isn't collecting dust on your shelf... *Gasp!* You haven't even bought one? Well it's been the number one best seller for several hundred, if not a couple thousand years, so you might want to follow the crowd on this one and get one. (I highly recommend the NKJV Extreme Teen Bible by Nelson Bibles. They're out of print though, so check Amazon, Ebay, or Alibris.)
My main goal here is to make it interesting for teenagers. Why do I think I can do that? What qualifies me to even attempt to make anything interesting to teenagers? Well, I'm a teenager myself, and even though I don't know a whole lot of other teens, I've got an idea of what makes us tick. I'm no fancy biblical scholar, I didn't attend classes on the subject (other than the ones at my church) and I'm not even really Christian. Or Jewish. I'm a mix! It's called Messianic, and it basically means that I observe the festivals outlined in the Bible while also believing that the Messiah already came once and is going to come again. More on that later.
How do I plan on making this particular book interesting? It was written forever ago, nothing in there is the new shiny thing that teens love so much. But wait... Ever heard of The Prince of Egypt? It's a movie that Dreamworks made a few years ago, back when everything was on VHS tapes. They made the story of Moses and the Exodus very very interesting by showing you what happened. Sure, they varied from the story now and then, but overall it was pretty darn close. What about musicians and bands? Ever heard the song "Flood" by Jars of Clay? Listen to it. It's also one of the psalms in the Bible, which I'll talk about when we get there. They've got plenty of books on the subject as well, but... They're usually not all that great. Either they're really boring or they've got vaguely biblical themes that are simply drenched in magic and other stuff that isn't biblical at all.
My goal is not to be the old professor who's lost touch with the younger crowd.
My goal is not to force feed knowledge into teenager's brains. They don't like that.
My goal is to use popular culture, things that teens love, movies and music, sometimes books, to show that the bible is in fact, very interesting.
My goal is to reinspire them. Get them thinking about what they're doing and how they can stay on that tightrope, or grab back on if they've slipped.
Also, I know religion and Bible stuff in general is a very touchy subject, so if you don't like what I'm saying, you don't have to read this.
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