Post by Ashlee White on Jan 18, 2018 10:30:53 GMT -5
I'm excited to be a part of this year-long trek to read the bible in its entirety, and I'm glad to be doing it alongside each of you! I have had some thoughts lately and wanted to get a discussion going about what we're reading, seeing, and feeling.
We are starting with the first book in the Pentateuch (which simply means five books in Greek) - Genesis. The word genesis is Latin and comes from the Greek word genea, meaning ethnicity or race. Stemming from that, the word genesis means origin or creation - basically, the coming into existence of something. From this genesis root word, we get words like generation, genes/genetics, and indigenous. (Etymology stuff fascinates me!)
Genesis was written from 1450-1410 B.C. and, according to tradition, was written/documented by Moses. Here's how my NLT bible describes the content of this book we are reading:
"As it's name implies, Genesis is the book of beginnings. It starts with the creation of the world and every living creature in it. It records the first marriage, the first sin, the first consequences of sin, and the first reference to God's future plan to redeem humanity. After recounting the stories of the Flood and the Tower of Babel, Genesis also tells the story of the birth of a nation - Israel. The story begins as God calls Abraham, the father of the Israelites, to leave his hometown or Ur (located in modern-day Iraq), and move to Canaan - the land God promised his descendants. Eventually, the Redeemer of the world would come from the descendants of Abraham. The story then shirts to exploits of Isaac, Abraham's son, and then to Jacob, Abraham's grandson. Genesis concludes with the remarkable experiences of Joseph."
"...the first reference to God's future plan to redeem humanity" really struck a cord with me. What verses have you read so far in Genesis that reference that plan? I'd love for you to share them and your thoughts upon reading them! (By the way, there is not just one right answer. I think God gives us plenty of references here about future redemption.)
I'll get us rolling.
The human race let God down. Adam and Eve sinned. They did the exact opposite of what he told them to do. Cain killed Abel because of rejection and jealousy. Theworld went wrong - quickly! Genesis 6:6 says, "So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart." Broke. His. Heart. It hurts my heart to know that I do that to him daily!
Next he floods the earth, but found favor in one man and his family - Noah. After the flood recedes, God says in 8:21b, "I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things." He confirms that covenant in 9:12-17, "Then God said, 'I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth... Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life (v. 15b)."
The rainbow became a symbol of promise. God's promise to us.
What is God showing you about His plan to save humanity here in the book of Genesis?
We are starting with the first book in the Pentateuch (which simply means five books in Greek) - Genesis. The word genesis is Latin and comes from the Greek word genea, meaning ethnicity or race. Stemming from that, the word genesis means origin or creation - basically, the coming into existence of something. From this genesis root word, we get words like generation, genes/genetics, and indigenous. (Etymology stuff fascinates me!)
Genesis was written from 1450-1410 B.C. and, according to tradition, was written/documented by Moses. Here's how my NLT bible describes the content of this book we are reading:
"As it's name implies, Genesis is the book of beginnings. It starts with the creation of the world and every living creature in it. It records the first marriage, the first sin, the first consequences of sin, and the first reference to God's future plan to redeem humanity. After recounting the stories of the Flood and the Tower of Babel, Genesis also tells the story of the birth of a nation - Israel. The story begins as God calls Abraham, the father of the Israelites, to leave his hometown or Ur (located in modern-day Iraq), and move to Canaan - the land God promised his descendants. Eventually, the Redeemer of the world would come from the descendants of Abraham. The story then shirts to exploits of Isaac, Abraham's son, and then to Jacob, Abraham's grandson. Genesis concludes with the remarkable experiences of Joseph."
"...the first reference to God's future plan to redeem humanity" really struck a cord with me. What verses have you read so far in Genesis that reference that plan? I'd love for you to share them and your thoughts upon reading them! (By the way, there is not just one right answer. I think God gives us plenty of references here about future redemption.)
I'll get us rolling.
The human race let God down. Adam and Eve sinned. They did the exact opposite of what he told them to do. Cain killed Abel because of rejection and jealousy. Theworld went wrong - quickly! Genesis 6:6 says, "So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart." Broke. His. Heart. It hurts my heart to know that I do that to him daily!
Next he floods the earth, but found favor in one man and his family - Noah. After the flood recedes, God says in 8:21b, "I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things." He confirms that covenant in 9:12-17, "Then God said, 'I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth... Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life (v. 15b)."
The rainbow became a symbol of promise. God's promise to us.
What is God showing you about His plan to save humanity here in the book of Genesis?
