Monday, April 12, 2010
Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 11th
There are 39 Old Testament books. The OT can be broken into the Law (also called Torah or Pentateuch) which is the first five books, then the History section (Joshua to Esther), the Wisdom section (Job to Son of Solomon), and the Prophets (Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and sometimes Daniel and the Minor Prophets are the rest).
Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 9th
Genesis 15: God’s faithfulness. This is one of my favorite stories because it displays graphically the extent of God’s faithfulness. Abram continues to have his doubts, and why shouldn’t: he’s old and still has no direct heirs. God makes a covenant with Abram and becomes the one who guarantees the covenant. This was the way people made covenants then. The maker of the covenant walks through the bloody ditch to signify that “If I break my end of the agreement, you are free to do to me what has been done to these animals.” Does that affect your image of God? If so, how?
Read Through the Bible in a Year - April 8th
Genesis 12: God’s Call and Covenant. How extensive of a call was given by God to Abram? What exactly is God’s promise to Abram? Who will be the recipients (be careful with this one)?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Read Through the Bible in a Year
Day 4
How extensive of a call was given by God to Abram? What exactly is God’s promise to Abram? Who will be the recipients (be careful with this one)?
How extensive of a call was given by God to Abram? What exactly is God’s promise to Abram? Who will be the recipients (be careful with this one)?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Read Through the Bible in a Year
Day 3
Did you know that the Bible is a collection of 66 books? In fact, the Bible means ‘book.’ It is essentially God’s book for its focus is essentially about how God has revealed Himself to His world. While Christians don’t believe its content was given exactly verbatim, we do believe Scripture to be inspired and authoritative for our lives. There is definitely a human element in Scripture as people continue to be surprised at how ‘real’ the Bible is in the stories of violence, rape, adultery, betrayal, and death. Yet we are very often overwhelmed at how divine it is in revealing God’s self-sacrificial, committed, and compassionate love for the world.
So why do we read the Bible? Not for trivia, but to listen for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit to help us live our lives faithfully and obediently in the light of eternal truths.
Did you know that the Bible is a collection of 66 books? In fact, the Bible means ‘book.’ It is essentially God’s book for its focus is essentially about how God has revealed Himself to His world. While Christians don’t believe its content was given exactly verbatim, we do believe Scripture to be inspired and authoritative for our lives. There is definitely a human element in Scripture as people continue to be surprised at how ‘real’ the Bible is in the stories of violence, rape, adultery, betrayal, and death. Yet we are very often overwhelmed at how divine it is in revealing God’s self-sacrificial, committed, and compassionate love for the world.
So why do we read the Bible? Not for trivia, but to listen for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit to help us live our lives faithfully and obediently in the light of eternal truths.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Read Through the Bible in a Year
Day 2
How did the serpent twist God’s command (see 2:16)? Did Adam and Eve die? How was God’s grace shown to Adam and Eve’s disobedience? Did their punishment fit the crime?
How did the serpent twist God’s command (see 2:16)? Did Adam and Eve die? How was God’s grace shown to Adam and Eve’s disobedience? Did their punishment fit the crime?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Read Through the Bible in a Year
Day 1
Genesis 1-2. Genesis comes from the word meaning ‘beginnings.’ Here we have the origin of the cosmos and people are very important. In many of the religions surrounding the Israelites, their stories of origins (like the Enuma Elish) do not give people a place of prominence. People are often offspring of the gods. People are made to serve the gods. In the Genesis accounts we are made in the image of God. We are to have dominion over the earth. Also significantly, there are not gods of light and darkness, sun and moon, earth and sky. For our God has created even them! This would have served as a real slap in the face to the other religions of the day. It was a way of proclaiming – Our God Reigns!
Does that change how you read Genesis 1? If so how?
Genesis 1-2. Genesis comes from the word meaning ‘beginnings.’ Here we have the origin of the cosmos and people are very important. In many of the religions surrounding the Israelites, their stories of origins (like the Enuma Elish) do not give people a place of prominence. People are often offspring of the gods. People are made to serve the gods. In the Genesis accounts we are made in the image of God. We are to have dominion over the earth. Also significantly, there are not gods of light and darkness, sun and moon, earth and sky. For our God has created even them! This would have served as a real slap in the face to the other religions of the day. It was a way of proclaiming – Our God Reigns!
Does that change how you read Genesis 1? If so how?
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