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Let’s look at the path they took. If you have a map of the region, particularly maps of the region at that time which can be found in many bibles, you may want to take it out.
Rameses was a large city in Egypt named for the Pharaoh who built it. It is likely that the name did not exist when the record was originally made because that region of the country was possessed by the Israelites and Rameses II (Rameses the Great) probably came after the Exodus. Among other evidence is the idea of a king coming who did not know Joseph. This indicates the possibility that these events occurred in the Hyksos period. This is when the land of Egypt was occupied and ruled by people from the area around what would become Israel. Scribes copying the history later would have had to change the name to match maps of the time period they were in. As these documents were meant to provide an understandable history it makes sense that they would mention things in relation to current locations. You can see that this was done in regard to Eden as well. Most of the locations and landmarks from before the flood had changed but, the description of it’s location is described in terms of the terrain after the flood. In fact this description was clear enough that the remains of the city of Eden was discovered by archaeologists many years ago.
The land of Goshen was on a flood plain which would have been difficult to make use of by the early Egyptians but would make ideal grazing land for the Israelites who were primarily cattleman and sheepherders. Since Egyptians couldn’t use the land and considered it uncouth to be around animal herders, the land of Goshen would have been left entirely in the hands of the Israelites without interference until they left Egypt. The City of Rameses would have been built later as the Egyptian Empire regained strength after it’s failures with Israel. The city was positioned as a base of operations for military actions. The name of the city came after it had been built up for this purpose but, it had gone by the name Rowaty prior to that when it was simply an unfortified rural settlement. the Hyksos rule ended with the death of Tuthmosis the Second in 1450 BC. This timeline agrees with many other historic records and fits the timeline of the Exodus. Later references to Egypt as, again, becoming an ally of Israel in various pursuits, implies ruler ship by those who respected Israel's position. The Egyptian kings of old held no animosity towards Israel and were said to respect Jehovah. The fact that the same is said of later kings implies that the kings at the time of the Israelites persecution were of a different type.
That’s a lot of information to point out that the Exodus from Egypt begat at Rameses. The moved to Succoth where they established camp. Succoth appears to coincide with the Egyptian store city of Pithom. built by the Hyksos regime this city was probably built over one of the Earliest Jewish settlements and is believed to be where Joseph’s body was kept until the Exodus. From there they go to Etham which, from the description of the location is probably another name for Khetam, a fortress along the great wall of Egypt and providing a military outpost on the edge of Egyptian territory. This would seem to be a dead end as they Israelites were boxed in by the mountains.
They turned back to Pi Hahiroth east of Baal Zephon and camped near Migdol which is a military watch tower. This description makes it impossible for the crossing of the sea to occur anywhere but at the straits of Tiran. This is the only place that matches the description. Having crossed the sea they traveled into the Wilderness of Etham which is actually the wilderness of Shur. A very close spelling correlation results in this being called the wilderness of Etham and the continuation of the journey makes clear where this is located.
Suggestions that the crossing was at the bitter lakes or port of Suez miss facts. 1) there is no place for the wilderness to close them in. 2)the doubled back to the point where they crossed. Doing that at either point means they already passed the sea and didn’t need to cross it. 3) the bible says they crossed a wilderness before coming to the sea. The wilderness of Egypt comes after those locations.
http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-etham.htm this site has maps showing the location of the landmarks mentioned and describing the crossing with detail.
Traveling 3 days to Marah brings them to the foot of the mountains and the closest point to midan which was the hometown of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. The bitter water may have refered to saltwater which is common in the flood plains along the sea. Despite being many miles inland they were still near sea level. The moved on to Elim. Traditional maps place these towns along the sea but that makes no sense when the next stop is to camp by the sea. this route goies into the wildernes(inland) to the mountains, turns south and makes camp halfway to the sea at an oasis of sorts with springs of water and palm trees. From there to the sea and then east into the wilderness of Sin brings them around the mountains in lower lands easier for transit. The eventual destination is Mt Sinai and this route comes there by the broad and easy route rather than traveling through the mountains.
From the wilderness of Sin the Israelites moved to a noarrow and difficult passage using Dophkah and Alush as staging areas for the difficult trek that led to a rather easy transit to Rephidim. coming out of this difficult pass they were attacked by the Amalakites who struck at the stragglers in the rear of the group. From here they move to the wilderness of Sinai. This brought them near Mt Sinai where they recieved the law. From this point there are a lot of locations mentioned. Many of them are names only useful to the Hebrew travelers. For example, the first is Kibroth Hattaavah. The name means graves of craving and refers to those who died after eating from the over abundant quail after they complained to God about not having enough meat. The names refer to events or landmarks of interest to the travelers but not associated with other societies or cities.
Wandering through the wilderness they came to Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor on the boundary of Edom. Remember that the Edomites were the children of Esau and were considered family by Israel. God forbid them from interfering with these people. The most likely location for this site is at or near Petra. (If you saw the ancient city in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, then you have seen Petra. It is the city built into the rock by the people of Israel as a stronghold. They came here and Aaron died here 40 years after leaving Egypt. Aaron was 123 years old at the time.
From there they traveled through several more camps until reaching Mt Nebo then to the plains of Moab by the Jordon River and across from the city of Jericho.
They were ordered to drive out the inhabitants of the promised land and destroy all their places of worship and religious Items. I often get strange looks when I praise the Taliban for destroying the Giant Buddhas in the side of the mountain. If Christians followed biblical law they would destroy Idols rather than building museums around them to glorify the “Art”. Appreciating a culture does not require us to study and worship their religious Icons.
From here the final borders of the Promised land are given. You can find a mapping of it on the site I mentioned earlier. This is not all the land of Israel but all the promised land. The Tribes that set up their home on the other side of the Jordan river expanded the territory and Solomon gained control of vast territories beyond the promised borders.
Showing posts with label 1 Year Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 Year Bible. Show all posts
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Genesis Chapters 24-25
I have to admit, this passage leaves you hanging. I got my answers to the questions because I know what happens next. What did you get as answers to the questions?
God's message to me: God has His plan. Yours only matters if it matches.
Promises: What God says will happen is going to happen.
Commands: Ask and you will receive. Issac asked for his wife to be blessed with a child as she had been barren. She had twins.
Timeless principles: Test the spirits. If you need to know something from God set a test of the question and accept the answer. If the answer doesn't match the test you got it wrong. More below...
How can I apply what I've learned: Ask God for answers. Most of the answers of life can be found in the pages of the bible but, what if I need to decide which job to take, even if one is service in the church and the other isn't the bible is unclear as to personal choice. Test the Lord. Set a test to answer the question and obey the answer when you get it.
If I'm supposed to take the ministry job then my windshield won't get frosted for the next 3 days. An OK test if you are near winter and frost is expected for the next 3 days but not really useful in Florida during early July. Just one example. God will help you find a viable test if you ask.
More to learn: This is leading to the story of how Jacob got the birthright and what happened as a result. Keep reading to see the details, and after that the birth of a nation.
Testing the spirits: Some pastors call this placing a fleece before God because of a later story in the book of Judges. If you need to know something from God you set a reasonable test. The basic is a yes and no question.
You set a condition for God to meet in a short time. Ex. put a sock on the lawn and tell God that a wet sock on a dry lawn means yes and a dry sock on a wet lawn means no and you will check the sock at dawn. Get up early and check the sock.
Second is the example here. The servant needed to choose a wife for his master's son. He set a test to show which person should be the choice. I don't know the exact figures but I've heard a description of what camels drink. For Rachel to offer to water the camels for a stranger was incredible. She committed herself to hours of hard work drawing water for the camels until they drank their fill and she followed through. It wasn't difficult to know God's decision.
The fleece test is a bit less precise which is probably why it was repeated with varying conditions a couple times before it was believed.
Regardless of the test stick to it. Even if you don't like the answer you can depend on God to give you the answer He wants. If you don't get a clear answer consider whether you asked an appropriate question. Better yet consider whether he has already answered it in the bible. God never commands something he previously outlawed so if the bible condemns a course of action you don't need to ask.
What's an unclear answer? Dry sock and dry grass, wet sock and wet grass, Ask for wet sock 2 days in a row and you get a dry sock one day. Whatever the problem, consider the question. If the question is sound God will give an answer clearly.
Finally, always question the source of answers, especially if their so clear that it's practically hearing voices. Satan cannot accept that Jesus is God. He will never admit that fact. Ask God to block all answers but His and He will.
God's message to me: God has His plan. Yours only matters if it matches.
Promises: What God says will happen is going to happen.
Commands: Ask and you will receive. Issac asked for his wife to be blessed with a child as she had been barren. She had twins.
Timeless principles: Test the spirits. If you need to know something from God set a test of the question and accept the answer. If the answer doesn't match the test you got it wrong. More below...
How can I apply what I've learned: Ask God for answers. Most of the answers of life can be found in the pages of the bible but, what if I need to decide which job to take, even if one is service in the church and the other isn't the bible is unclear as to personal choice. Test the Lord. Set a test to answer the question and obey the answer when you get it.
If I'm supposed to take the ministry job then my windshield won't get frosted for the next 3 days. An OK test if you are near winter and frost is expected for the next 3 days but not really useful in Florida during early July. Just one example. God will help you find a viable test if you ask.
More to learn: This is leading to the story of how Jacob got the birthright and what happened as a result. Keep reading to see the details, and after that the birth of a nation.
Testing the spirits: Some pastors call this placing a fleece before God because of a later story in the book of Judges. If you need to know something from God you set a reasonable test. The basic is a yes and no question.
You set a condition for God to meet in a short time. Ex. put a sock on the lawn and tell God that a wet sock on a dry lawn means yes and a dry sock on a wet lawn means no and you will check the sock at dawn. Get up early and check the sock.
Second is the example here. The servant needed to choose a wife for his master's son. He set a test to show which person should be the choice. I don't know the exact figures but I've heard a description of what camels drink. For Rachel to offer to water the camels for a stranger was incredible. She committed herself to hours of hard work drawing water for the camels until they drank their fill and she followed through. It wasn't difficult to know God's decision.
The fleece test is a bit less precise which is probably why it was repeated with varying conditions a couple times before it was believed.
Regardless of the test stick to it. Even if you don't like the answer you can depend on God to give you the answer He wants. If you don't get a clear answer consider whether you asked an appropriate question. Better yet consider whether he has already answered it in the bible. God never commands something he previously outlawed so if the bible condemns a course of action you don't need to ask.
What's an unclear answer? Dry sock and dry grass, wet sock and wet grass, Ask for wet sock 2 days in a row and you get a dry sock one day. Whatever the problem, consider the question. If the question is sound God will give an answer clearly.
Finally, always question the source of answers, especially if their so clear that it's practically hearing voices. Satan cannot accept that Jesus is God. He will never admit that fact. Ask God to block all answers but His and He will.
Genesis 20-23
This entry is quite late. Tomorrows will be quite early. Both are ready now.
God's Message to me: When God sent Abram from his homeland he asked his wife to tell everyone that she was his sister. He did this out of fear that people would kill him to get his wife because of her beauty.
God knew what He was doing. If God says going someplace will make your life better there is no need to worry. It is certainly reasonable to provide for self defense. God provides us that ability for a reason. It is not reasonable to do the wrong thing out of fear. Abraham lied to protect his life when God was there to protect him. God protected his wife from dishonor and Abraham from death and allowed the situations to become blessings for Abraham. What blessings might have come if the kings he placed in danger had embraced him as a visiting dignitary instead of a prince they feared.
Promises: God keeps his promises and asks for nothing He isn't prepared to provide.
Commands: Hold nothing back. Without God you wouldn't have it anyway.
Timeless principles: Everything comes from God and belongs to God.
How can I apply what I've learned: Treat all I posses as if it is borrowed from God and He can have it back whenever he asks. Failing that He can take it back anyway.
God's Message to me: When God sent Abram from his homeland he asked his wife to tell everyone that she was his sister. He did this out of fear that people would kill him to get his wife because of her beauty.
God knew what He was doing. If God says going someplace will make your life better there is no need to worry. It is certainly reasonable to provide for self defense. God provides us that ability for a reason. It is not reasonable to do the wrong thing out of fear. Abraham lied to protect his life when God was there to protect him. God protected his wife from dishonor and Abraham from death and allowed the situations to become blessings for Abraham. What blessings might have come if the kings he placed in danger had embraced him as a visiting dignitary instead of a prince they feared.
Promises: God keeps his promises and asks for nothing He isn't prepared to provide.
Commands: Hold nothing back. Without God you wouldn't have it anyway.
Timeless principles: Everything comes from God and belongs to God.
How can I apply what I've learned: Treat all I posses as if it is borrowed from God and He can have it back whenever he asks. Failing that He can take it back anyway.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Genesis 17-19
God's message to me: Mankind is far to limited in his thinking. Possible and impossible are not in God's vocabulary. God is only concerned with what He has done, is doing and will do regardless of how "possible" we think it is.
Promises: All Things are possible with God.
Commands: Trust and obey seem to underly the passage but aren't implicitly said.
Timeless principles: with God, always expect the impossible.
How can I apply what I have learned: Don't limit God to the "possible". Don't try to figure out how he is going to do it, you won't completely believe it when it happens and you can't imagine it before. DON'T TRY TO HELP GOD! In case you missed it the first time, Don't Try To Help God! Just to be clear - Don't try to help God! You will get it wrong, you will mess it up, you will complicate your life and you will not be helpful.
Many a well meaning preacher has said "pray like it all depends on God, and work like it all depends on you." It's a catchy phrase but it's as biblical as "God helps those who help themselves". God doesn't need you help.
God gave us the resources to handle a lot but the rest is His to work miracles. Stress is one of the biggest killers and it's all because people don't trust God. Every problem has a solution and it is before you from the beginning. Understand that and you have no stress.
Sometimes it is something you can fix or take care of.
Some things are simply not your problem - it does no good to borrow trouble, leave those things to the people they were intended for.
Somethings are outside your power. When you face a problem you don't know how to handle Lift your Heart in Prayer and give it to God. He will either show you the solution or He will resolve the issue for you. You don't need to concern yourself beyond that. Once you give it to Him just forget it. It's handled. Further worry hurts you for no good reason.
Promises: All Things are possible with God.
Commands: Trust and obey seem to underly the passage but aren't implicitly said.
Timeless principles: with God, always expect the impossible.
How can I apply what I have learned: Don't limit God to the "possible". Don't try to figure out how he is going to do it, you won't completely believe it when it happens and you can't imagine it before. DON'T TRY TO HELP GOD! In case you missed it the first time, Don't Try To Help God! Just to be clear - Don't try to help God! You will get it wrong, you will mess it up, you will complicate your life and you will not be helpful.
Many a well meaning preacher has said "pray like it all depends on God, and work like it all depends on you." It's a catchy phrase but it's as biblical as "God helps those who help themselves". God doesn't need you help.
God gave us the resources to handle a lot but the rest is His to work miracles. Stress is one of the biggest killers and it's all because people don't trust God. Every problem has a solution and it is before you from the beginning. Understand that and you have no stress.
Sometimes it is something you can fix or take care of.
Some things are simply not your problem - it does no good to borrow trouble, leave those things to the people they were intended for.
Somethings are outside your power. When you face a problem you don't know how to handle Lift your Heart in Prayer and give it to God. He will either show you the solution or He will resolve the issue for you. You don't need to concern yourself beyond that. Once you give it to Him just forget it. It's handled. Further worry hurts you for no good reason.
Additional Study
I Was WRONG! At the least we have a clear time for Shem.
Shem was born in 1453 before the death of Lamech in 1546 and the death of Methuselah in 1551. He would have known his grandfather for 93 years but, he would have known Methuselah for 98 years so the timing is still valid. Adam was around to teach Methuselah who was around to teach Shem.
People who lived after the flood: Noah was born in 951, Shem was born in 1453, Arphaxad was born in 1553, Salah was born in 1588, Eber was born in 1618, Peleg was born in 1652, Reu was born in 1682, Serug was born in 1712, Nahor was born in 1742, Terah was born in 1771, by 1841 Terah was 70 and had Abram and Nahor and Haran - Haran died young and Abram and Nahor moved to Canaan with Terah to live in Haran, Nahor showed another dramatic drop in lifespans and died in 1890, Peleg showed the reality of shortening life spans not even outlasting Noah and dying in 1891, Noah died in 1901, Reu died in 1919, Serug died in 1942, Terah died in 1976, Arphaxad died in 1991 - 62 years before his father, Salah died 32 years before his grandfather in 2021, Shem died in 2053, Eber - great-grandson of Shem - has the distinction of being the first of Shem’s descendants to out live him - Shem and Eber shared 435 years on earth and Eber died in 2082.
The Lineage of Noah goes something like this:(numbers indicate generation)
1)Noah- 2)Shem- 3)Elam
\__\________3)Asshur
\__\________3)Arphaxad- 4)Salah- 5)Eber- 6)Peleg
\__\__\__\__\_________________6)Joktan- 7)Almodad
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Sheleph
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Hazarmaveth
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Jerah
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Hadoram
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Uzal
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Diklah
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Obal
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Abimael
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Sheba
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Ophir
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Havilah
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Jobab
*__*__*__*__*__*__*_______________________Living from Mesha towards Sephar (the mountain of the east)
\__\________3)Lud
\__\________3)Aram- 4)Uz
\__\__\___________4)Hul
\__\__\___________4)Gether
\__\__\___________4)Mash
\_____2)Ham- 3)Cush- 4)Seba
\__\__\___________4)Havilah
\__\__\___________4)Sabtah
\__\__\___________4)Raamah- 5)Sheba
\__\__\__\______________5)Dedan
\__\__\___________4)Sabtechah
\__\__\___________4)NIMROD-ruled
\__\__\__\______________Babel
\__\__\__\______________Erech
\__\__\__\______________Accad
\__\__\__\______________Calneh
\__\__\__\______________the Shinar
\__\__\__\______________Assyrian lands
\__\__\__\__\_________________Nineveh
\__\__\__\__\_________________Rehoboth Ir
\__\__\__\__\_________________Calah
\__\__\__\__\_________________Resen
\__\________3)Mizraim- 4)Ludim
\__\__\___________4)Anamim
\__\__\___________4)Lehabim
\__\__\___________4)Naphtuhim
\__\__\___________4)Pathrusim
\__\__\___________4)Casluhim- the Philistines
\__\__\__\______________the Caphtorim
\__\________3)Put(Phut)
\__\________3)Canaan- 4)Sidon(1st born)
\__\__\___________4)Heth- the Jebusite
\__\__\__\______________the Amorite
\__\__\__\______________the Girgashite
\__\__\__\______________the Hivite
\__\__\__\______________the Arkite
\__\__\__\______________the Sinite
\__\__\__\______________the Arvadite
\__\__\__\______________the Zemarite
\__\__\__\______________the Hamathite
\__\__\__\__\_________________From Sidon going towards Gerar as far as Gaza
Then towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim as far as Lasha
\_____2)Japath- 3)Gomar- 4)Ashkenaz
\__\__\___________4)Riphath(Diphath)
\__\__\___________4)Togarman
\__\________3)Magog
\__\________3)Madai
\__\________3)Javan- 4)Elishah
\__\__\___________4)Tarshish
\__\__\___________4)Kittim
\__\__\___________4)Dodanim(Rodanim)
\__\________3)Tubal
\__\________3)Meshech
\__\________3)Tiras
Quick note. Tomorrows daily reading is Genesis chapters 17-19. My blog for that devotion will be late because it is 2:40 in the morning now and I should still be sound asleep at 9am.
This had a nice outline feel to it before it posted. Someday I need to learn html so I can ad the proper indents.
Shem was born in 1453 before the death of Lamech in 1546 and the death of Methuselah in 1551. He would have known his grandfather for 93 years but, he would have known Methuselah for 98 years so the timing is still valid. Adam was around to teach Methuselah who was around to teach Shem.
People who lived after the flood: Noah was born in 951, Shem was born in 1453, Arphaxad was born in 1553, Salah was born in 1588, Eber was born in 1618, Peleg was born in 1652, Reu was born in 1682, Serug was born in 1712, Nahor was born in 1742, Terah was born in 1771, by 1841 Terah was 70 and had Abram and Nahor and Haran - Haran died young and Abram and Nahor moved to Canaan with Terah to live in Haran, Nahor showed another dramatic drop in lifespans and died in 1890, Peleg showed the reality of shortening life spans not even outlasting Noah and dying in 1891, Noah died in 1901, Reu died in 1919, Serug died in 1942, Terah died in 1976, Arphaxad died in 1991 - 62 years before his father, Salah died 32 years before his grandfather in 2021, Shem died in 2053, Eber - great-grandson of Shem - has the distinction of being the first of Shem’s descendants to out live him - Shem and Eber shared 435 years on earth and Eber died in 2082.
The Lineage of Noah goes something like this:(numbers indicate generation)
1)Noah- 2)Shem- 3)Elam
\__\________3)Asshur
\__\________3)Arphaxad- 4)Salah- 5)Eber- 6)Peleg
\__\__\__\__\_________________6)Joktan- 7)Almodad
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Sheleph
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Hazarmaveth
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Jerah
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Hadoram
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Uzal
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Diklah
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Obal
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Abimael
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Sheba
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Ophir
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Havilah
\__\__\__\__\__\____________________7)Jobab
*__*__*__*__*__*__*_______________________Living from Mesha towards Sephar (the mountain of the east)
\__\________3)Lud
\__\________3)Aram- 4)Uz
\__\__\___________4)Hul
\__\__\___________4)Gether
\__\__\___________4)Mash
\_____2)Ham- 3)Cush- 4)Seba
\__\__\___________4)Havilah
\__\__\___________4)Sabtah
\__\__\___________4)Raamah- 5)Sheba
\__\__\__\______________5)Dedan
\__\__\___________4)Sabtechah
\__\__\___________4)NIMROD-ruled
\__\__\__\______________Babel
\__\__\__\______________Erech
\__\__\__\______________Accad
\__\__\__\______________Calneh
\__\__\__\______________the Shinar
\__\__\__\______________Assyrian lands
\__\__\__\__\_________________Nineveh
\__\__\__\__\_________________Rehoboth Ir
\__\__\__\__\_________________Calah
\__\__\__\__\_________________Resen
\__\________3)Mizraim- 4)Ludim
\__\__\___________4)Anamim
\__\__\___________4)Lehabim
\__\__\___________4)Naphtuhim
\__\__\___________4)Pathrusim
\__\__\___________4)Casluhim- the Philistines
\__\__\__\______________the Caphtorim
\__\________3)Put(Phut)
\__\________3)Canaan- 4)Sidon(1st born)
\__\__\___________4)Heth- the Jebusite
\__\__\__\______________the Amorite
\__\__\__\______________the Girgashite
\__\__\__\______________the Hivite
\__\__\__\______________the Arkite
\__\__\__\______________the Sinite
\__\__\__\______________the Arvadite
\__\__\__\______________the Zemarite
\__\__\__\______________the Hamathite
\__\__\__\__\_________________From Sidon going towards Gerar as far as Gaza
Then towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim as far as Lasha
\_____2)Japath- 3)Gomar- 4)Ashkenaz
\__\__\___________4)Riphath(Diphath)
\__\__\___________4)Togarman
\__\________3)Magog
\__\________3)Madai
\__\________3)Javan- 4)Elishah
\__\__\___________4)Tarshish
\__\__\___________4)Kittim
\__\__\___________4)Dodanim(Rodanim)
\__\________3)Tubal
\__\________3)Meshech
\__\________3)Tiras
Quick note. Tomorrows daily reading is Genesis chapters 17-19. My blog for that devotion will be late because it is 2:40 in the morning now and I should still be sound asleep at 9am.
This had a nice outline feel to it before it posted. Someday I need to learn html so I can ad the proper indents.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Genesis chapters 12-16
Beginning the story of Abraham
God's message to me: Even the most dangerous situation is an opportunity for God to bless me and improve my situation. I don't need to claim the best at the expense of others, God will turn the sand to soil and the lead to gold. Go where God wants and you will prosper in His name.
Promises: Obey God's command and you will receive his blessing.
Commands: Bless Israel. God made a blood covenant with Abraham and that covenant can never be broken. The children of Israel are God's chosen people and should be supported always. Failure to do so brings a curse.
Timeless principles: In order to bless you, God will often take you out of your comfort zone.
How can I apply what I've learned: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you" this message from God would be a warning to all. With the fighting in the Gaza strip and the threats from Hamas in Lebanon, are you on the winning side of the argument?
more to learn for in-depth study: This is an extension of the information to be gained in the last section. Now we see where some of those new found nations went and how they acted. The breakdown of that information should be ready this afternoon for another entry.
God's message to me: Even the most dangerous situation is an opportunity for God to bless me and improve my situation. I don't need to claim the best at the expense of others, God will turn the sand to soil and the lead to gold. Go where God wants and you will prosper in His name.
Promises: Obey God's command and you will receive his blessing.
Commands: Bless Israel. God made a blood covenant with Abraham and that covenant can never be broken. The children of Israel are God's chosen people and should be supported always. Failure to do so brings a curse.
Timeless principles: In order to bless you, God will often take you out of your comfort zone.
How can I apply what I've learned: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you" this message from God would be a warning to all. With the fighting in the Gaza strip and the threats from Hamas in Lebanon, are you on the winning side of the argument?
more to learn for in-depth study: This is an extension of the information to be gained in the last section. Now we see where some of those new found nations went and how they acted. The breakdown of that information should be ready this afternoon for another entry.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Genesis Chapters 9-12
God's message to me: God does not forget His own, even when He is angry.
Promises: Animals fear man naturally, not the other way around. Vegetable or animal it is there for food for man. The Rainbow is God's sign that the rain will not become a worldwide killer flood.
Commands: Be fruitful and multiply is God's most basic command and repeated several times in the bible. Twice in this passage. Population control is not our job and overpopulation is not our problem. Never eat blood-there is a reason the idea of doing it grosses most of us out. If man shed's man's blood by man shall his blood be spilled. Capital punishment was one of God's earliest commands and one of the earliest punishments mentioned in the bible going back to Cain, who was spared from it by God's mercy.
Timeless principles: God's wrath never outweighs His love and justice. Even finding only one man on earth who still followed his law, He spared the life of that man and his family.
How can I apply what I've learned: Wait for God's timing but don't hesitate when He says it's time. Noah was 500 years old when he started building the ark and he and his sons spent nearly 100 years doing it before the flood came. Even when he could tell that the flood was gone and much of the land was dry he did not leave the ark until God said to.
More to learn for in depth study: There is to much to cover simply and, frankly, I'm still breaking it down. I'll cover it in a second entry later today. This passage covers a lot of ancestry explaining the origins of many ancient cultures. Some, like the Assyrians, you may have studied in high school. Most of them play roles in the later history of the old testament and knowing their origins can help you understand the reason for some things then and even now. The middle east is the focus of end times prophecy and the cultures involved have been established since the flood. Babylon was built and ruled by Nimrod and the nations founded in this passage still exist throughout the region.
Promises: Animals fear man naturally, not the other way around. Vegetable or animal it is there for food for man. The Rainbow is God's sign that the rain will not become a worldwide killer flood.
Commands: Be fruitful and multiply is God's most basic command and repeated several times in the bible. Twice in this passage. Population control is not our job and overpopulation is not our problem. Never eat blood-there is a reason the idea of doing it grosses most of us out. If man shed's man's blood by man shall his blood be spilled. Capital punishment was one of God's earliest commands and one of the earliest punishments mentioned in the bible going back to Cain, who was spared from it by God's mercy.
Timeless principles: God's wrath never outweighs His love and justice. Even finding only one man on earth who still followed his law, He spared the life of that man and his family.
How can I apply what I've learned: Wait for God's timing but don't hesitate when He says it's time. Noah was 500 years old when he started building the ark and he and his sons spent nearly 100 years doing it before the flood came. Even when he could tell that the flood was gone and much of the land was dry he did not leave the ark until God said to.
More to learn for in depth study: There is to much to cover simply and, frankly, I'm still breaking it down. I'll cover it in a second entry later today. This passage covers a lot of ancestry explaining the origins of many ancient cultures. Some, like the Assyrians, you may have studied in high school. Most of them play roles in the later history of the old testament and knowing their origins can help you understand the reason for some things then and even now. The middle east is the focus of end times prophecy and the cultures involved have been established since the flood. Babylon was built and ruled by Nimrod and the nations founded in this passage still exist throughout the region.
Friday, January 2, 2009
more on Genesis chapter 8
Hi,
I'm back and it's the middle of the night. Why is that? I noticed something, reviewing that last chapter, that deserved a note.
Matthew 24:37 tells us that the end times will be like the days of Noah. The last chapter we read defines what those days were like.
Mankind was becoming entirely corrupt. His heart dwelt always on evil. Violence filled the earth.
Corruption is an insidious thing. It creeps up without being noticed. We tend to give it nice names like "situational ethics".
Here's the thing. The ethical man knows the difference between right and wrong. The moral man chooses good.
Situational ethics is just a fancy way of saying we make the rules up as we go along. The ends justify the means and the wrong can be right if it's done for the right reason. That pretty much describes corruption. We do anything we want as long as we can justify it as accomplishing good. Then we define good as what we see as good.
God deals in absolutes. Good is good, bad is bad and bad can never equal good. Doing the wrong thing for the "right reason" is still doing the wrong thing and that is bad. All the world is being corrupted by situational ethics.
Man's mind is always on evil. Statistics say that a man thinks about sex more than once a minute. I think the last measure I heard was something like every 45 seconds on average. How many of those thoughts do you think fall under the heading of lust and covetousness? We regularly watch programing and read books that tell us bad can be good. Vampire heroes and witches who fight demons make great TV but serve the wrong side of the battle. Our popular programs and movies make heroes out of gangsters, mob bosses and scum and even have us cheering for a serial killer.
Speaking of serial killers we have begun to glorify violence in our pop culture while legitimate violence is seen as wrong. The world is filled with violence. Terrorists and criminals and power hungry governments attack, rape, pillage, murder and destroy every day. Our response has been to seek vengeance on those who use violence only as a last resort and to defend others and themselves. By outlawing self defense and vigilance we make ourselves victims and the violence increases. We stick our heads in the sand and say it just wasn't reported before but if that were true and this has always been this bad we would long ago have ceased to exist.
The bible shows us what the days of Noah were like and they are a lot like now. Are you ready for the return of the King Of Kings? Are you sure? Take the "Good" test and learn to be sure
I'm back and it's the middle of the night. Why is that? I noticed something, reviewing that last chapter, that deserved a note.
Matthew 24:37 tells us that the end times will be like the days of Noah. The last chapter we read defines what those days were like.
Mankind was becoming entirely corrupt. His heart dwelt always on evil. Violence filled the earth.
Corruption is an insidious thing. It creeps up without being noticed. We tend to give it nice names like "situational ethics".
Here's the thing. The ethical man knows the difference between right and wrong. The moral man chooses good.
Situational ethics is just a fancy way of saying we make the rules up as we go along. The ends justify the means and the wrong can be right if it's done for the right reason. That pretty much describes corruption. We do anything we want as long as we can justify it as accomplishing good. Then we define good as what we see as good.
God deals in absolutes. Good is good, bad is bad and bad can never equal good. Doing the wrong thing for the "right reason" is still doing the wrong thing and that is bad. All the world is being corrupted by situational ethics.
Man's mind is always on evil. Statistics say that a man thinks about sex more than once a minute. I think the last measure I heard was something like every 45 seconds on average. How many of those thoughts do you think fall under the heading of lust and covetousness? We regularly watch programing and read books that tell us bad can be good. Vampire heroes and witches who fight demons make great TV but serve the wrong side of the battle. Our popular programs and movies make heroes out of gangsters, mob bosses and scum and even have us cheering for a serial killer.
Speaking of serial killers we have begun to glorify violence in our pop culture while legitimate violence is seen as wrong. The world is filled with violence. Terrorists and criminals and power hungry governments attack, rape, pillage, murder and destroy every day. Our response has been to seek vengeance on those who use violence only as a last resort and to defend others and themselves. By outlawing self defense and vigilance we make ourselves victims and the violence increases. We stick our heads in the sand and say it just wasn't reported before but if that were true and this has always been this bad we would long ago have ceased to exist.
The bible shows us what the days of Noah were like and they are a lot like now. Are you ready for the return of the King Of Kings? Are you sure? Take the "Good" test and learn to be sure
Genesis chapters 4-8
Jumping in with both feet we head strait to a number of passages that many struggle with. I'll dig into the meat after the basic study.
God's Message to me: Timing is important. The first man that didn't die lived 365 years. The father of Noah lived 777 years. The bible gives exact dates for entering and leaving the ark and tells the ages of each mans death and the years for each birth. Rule one, God has a schedule we can't rush. Rule 2 if God considers it important we should also. Rule 3 (from Cain and Able) God respects obedience, not position.
Promises: God will forgive sin if we obey Him and follow His path for forgiveness. We can't reinvent the path to suit our situation. Cain was a farmer but burning grain and fruit could not replace a blood sacrifice.
God will never again destroy all the earth for the sins of men. The curse on the ground given as a result of Adam's sin is lifted forever in spite of the evil in men's hearts.
Commands: Obey God's commands.
Timeless principles: When God told Moses he would test the people of Israel to see if they obeyed His law he did so before giving them "the law of Moses" His law was simply his command. Not all commands are for all people. Not everyone is called to be a pastor but it is sin for one who is called to refuse the calling.
How can I apply what I've learned: First, learn what God seeks to teach. If he didn't want us to learn it he wouldn't put it in the book. Second, obey Gods commandments both in the bible and in my life. God never tells us to do something wrong and he doesn't contradict himself. He would never order us to do something the bible says we shouldn't. He does call some to do more and we should obey those commands just as we should obey the 10 commandments and the other commands.
more to learn for in-depth study:
Cain and Abel both brought offerings of the first fruits. They tithed. Why was Cain's offering less acceptable?
While both offerings were proper tithes Cains was an offering of grain and fruit. Able brought a blood sacrifice which is necessary for the remission(cleansing) of sin. Abel's blood sacrifice cleared the slate and renewed his relationship with God so that his tithe could get full respect from God.
Christ became the ultimate blood sacrifice for all sin which is why Christians no longer practice the blood sacrifice that was mandated under Old Testament law. For those who see a blood sacrifice as barbaric remember that it was commanded by God under the law given to Moses and documented in Leviticus.
The story of Lamech seems to be a useless aside but it serves as a reminder of the adage "give them an inch and they'll take a mile." God protected Cain from the death penalty he earned for murdering his brother. Lamech, who didn't see his murder as wrong but justified it by saying the man hurt him, felt God should protect him 10 times as well.
Moving to the genealogy there are 2 reasons for documenting all this. The first is found in Luke chapter 3 which traces the lineage of Christ back to Adam. Matthew chapter one shows the need for this lineage by reminding us that there are 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to Babylonian captivity and 14 more from the captivity to Christ, all in fulfillment of prophecy.
The second reason is a time line. Counting from creation (I'm not trying to establish the year BC yet) Adam is created at year zero, Seth was born in year 130, Enosh was born in year 235, Cainan was born in year 220, Mahalel was born in year 290,Jared was born in year 355, Enoch was born in year 517, Methuselah was born in year 582, Lamech was born in year 769, and Adam finally died in year 930. For those concerned by oral history it should be noted that Lamech, the father of Noah, had 161 years to learn history from the man who had lived it from the very beginning, Adam.
Noah was born in year 951, Seth died in year 1042, Enosh died in year 1140, Cainan died in year 1130, Mahalel died in year 1185, Jared died in year 1317, Enoch was taken by God in year 882, Lamech died in year 1546 having lived 777 years, Methuselah is the oldest man on record living 969 years until year 1551 and dying shortly before the flood, The flood occured in year 1551. While it is unclear whether Noah's sons could have known their grandfather it is quite clear that their great grandfather was around almost until the flood. Methuselah had 384 years to learn history from Adam and then could teach it to Shem, Ham and Japeth. For the Oral history concerns that is Adam teaches Methuselah who teaches the sons of Noah.
Chapter 6 discusses the nephilim, These "mighty ones" were the offspring of humans and fallen angels. The bible also calls them giants and men of renown. This implies they may be the origin of stories regarding both fantastical monsters and half human half god heroes.
FUN FACT: The ark was about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Draw a picture and you realize that it was a lot like a big barge. 15 yards high or around 4 1/2 stories, 25 yards wide is just a bit more than the length of most mobile homes. 150 yards is a football feild and a half. That's a big boat.
On the 17th day of the 2nd month in the year 1551, the rain began. The rain continued for 40 days and the water raised 22 1/2 feet above the highest mountain. The ark remained closed for 370 days until God told Noah and his family to take the animals off the ark on the 27th day of the 2nd month of the year 1552.
God's Message to me: Timing is important. The first man that didn't die lived 365 years. The father of Noah lived 777 years. The bible gives exact dates for entering and leaving the ark and tells the ages of each mans death and the years for each birth. Rule one, God has a schedule we can't rush. Rule 2 if God considers it important we should also. Rule 3 (from Cain and Able) God respects obedience, not position.
Promises: God will forgive sin if we obey Him and follow His path for forgiveness. We can't reinvent the path to suit our situation. Cain was a farmer but burning grain and fruit could not replace a blood sacrifice.
God will never again destroy all the earth for the sins of men. The curse on the ground given as a result of Adam's sin is lifted forever in spite of the evil in men's hearts.
Commands: Obey God's commands.
Timeless principles: When God told Moses he would test the people of Israel to see if they obeyed His law he did so before giving them "the law of Moses" His law was simply his command. Not all commands are for all people. Not everyone is called to be a pastor but it is sin for one who is called to refuse the calling.
How can I apply what I've learned: First, learn what God seeks to teach. If he didn't want us to learn it he wouldn't put it in the book. Second, obey Gods commandments both in the bible and in my life. God never tells us to do something wrong and he doesn't contradict himself. He would never order us to do something the bible says we shouldn't. He does call some to do more and we should obey those commands just as we should obey the 10 commandments and the other commands.
more to learn for in-depth study:
Cain and Abel both brought offerings of the first fruits. They tithed. Why was Cain's offering less acceptable?
While both offerings were proper tithes Cains was an offering of grain and fruit. Able brought a blood sacrifice which is necessary for the remission(cleansing) of sin. Abel's blood sacrifice cleared the slate and renewed his relationship with God so that his tithe could get full respect from God.
Christ became the ultimate blood sacrifice for all sin which is why Christians no longer practice the blood sacrifice that was mandated under Old Testament law. For those who see a blood sacrifice as barbaric remember that it was commanded by God under the law given to Moses and documented in Leviticus.
The story of Lamech seems to be a useless aside but it serves as a reminder of the adage "give them an inch and they'll take a mile." God protected Cain from the death penalty he earned for murdering his brother. Lamech, who didn't see his murder as wrong but justified it by saying the man hurt him, felt God should protect him 10 times as well.
Moving to the genealogy there are 2 reasons for documenting all this. The first is found in Luke chapter 3 which traces the lineage of Christ back to Adam. Matthew chapter one shows the need for this lineage by reminding us that there are 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to Babylonian captivity and 14 more from the captivity to Christ, all in fulfillment of prophecy.
The second reason is a time line. Counting from creation (I'm not trying to establish the year BC yet) Adam is created at year zero, Seth was born in year 130, Enosh was born in year 235, Cainan was born in year 220, Mahalel was born in year 290,Jared was born in year 355, Enoch was born in year 517, Methuselah was born in year 582, Lamech was born in year 769, and Adam finally died in year 930. For those concerned by oral history it should be noted that Lamech, the father of Noah, had 161 years to learn history from the man who had lived it from the very beginning, Adam.
Noah was born in year 951, Seth died in year 1042, Enosh died in year 1140, Cainan died in year 1130, Mahalel died in year 1185, Jared died in year 1317, Enoch was taken by God in year 882, Lamech died in year 1546 having lived 777 years, Methuselah is the oldest man on record living 969 years until year 1551 and dying shortly before the flood, The flood occured in year 1551. While it is unclear whether Noah's sons could have known their grandfather it is quite clear that their great grandfather was around almost until the flood. Methuselah had 384 years to learn history from Adam and then could teach it to Shem, Ham and Japeth. For the Oral history concerns that is Adam teaches Methuselah who teaches the sons of Noah.
Chapter 6 discusses the nephilim, These "mighty ones" were the offspring of humans and fallen angels. The bible also calls them giants and men of renown. This implies they may be the origin of stories regarding both fantastical monsters and half human half god heroes.
FUN FACT: The ark was about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Draw a picture and you realize that it was a lot like a big barge. 15 yards high or around 4 1/2 stories, 25 yards wide is just a bit more than the length of most mobile homes. 150 yards is a football feild and a half. That's a big boat.
On the 17th day of the 2nd month in the year 1551, the rain began. The rain continued for 40 days and the water raised 22 1/2 feet above the highest mountain. The ark remained closed for 370 days until God told Noah and his family to take the animals off the ark on the 27th day of the 2nd month of the year 1552.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Genesis chapters 1-3
God's Message to me: Gen 1:26-28 man has dominion over all the earth and everything in it to subdue it.
Chap 2 god sanctified the sabbath (7th day, Saturday) as a day of rest.
The first job of man is to cultivate the land and control his environment.
Promises: God has provided for my needs.
Commands: I am a steward of what God gave me. It is there for me to use. I am to subdue it (place it under my control) and cultivate it (adjust it to produce better and more efficiently).
Keep the sabbath holy. God takes rest and so should we.
Timeless principles: The world around me is for me to use for my needs. I was given dominion over it all to use it.
Even God takes a rest.
How can I apply what I've learned: We are to cultivate as gardeners. Stripping the land as looters with no attempt to keep it useful is wrong. Leaving the land untouched and untended is wrong. Managing the land and it's resources for our benefit is what God made us to do. The resources were put there for us to use.
Remember that God didn't create little worker robots that just keep going. We are supposed to rest on a regular basis.
Chap 2 god sanctified the sabbath (7th day, Saturday) as a day of rest.
The first job of man is to cultivate the land and control his environment.
Promises: God has provided for my needs.
Commands: I am a steward of what God gave me. It is there for me to use. I am to subdue it (place it under my control) and cultivate it (adjust it to produce better and more efficiently).
Keep the sabbath holy. God takes rest and so should we.
Timeless principles: The world around me is for me to use for my needs. I was given dominion over it all to use it.
Even God takes a rest.
How can I apply what I've learned: We are to cultivate as gardeners. Stripping the land as looters with no attempt to keep it useful is wrong. Leaving the land untouched and untended is wrong. Managing the land and it's resources for our benefit is what God made us to do. The resources were put there for us to use.
Remember that God didn't create little worker robots that just keep going. We are supposed to rest on a regular basis.
Introduction
WELCOME! This is my first blog, ever.
The objective here is to take the readers through the Bible in one year. I'll follow a simple pre-planned course with a basic study guide pattern. The pattern will look like this example:
Thursday, January 1, 2009 Text: Genesis chapters 1-3
God's Message to me:
Promises:
Commands:
Timeless principles:
How can I apply what I've learned:
When I say "simple pre-planned course" I mean really simple. I use a large print bible I got at a department store for less than $10. It has 1763 pages and I divide by the 365 days in the year 2009AD to get about 5 pages a day.
There are other plans out there and other resources you may find better suited but, having read through the bible several times myself I find the cover to cover method works fine and becomes easier as you get used to reading routinely.
Don't be afraid to fall behind, as you get used to the reading you will catch up.
Don't be afraid to read ahead, Once I got used to reading the bible regularly I managed to go through it cover to cover in under 3 months.
Understand that this is not an in-depth analysis. Your reading through large sections at a time to get the overall meaning and embed God's message in your heart. Understand that you will find passages you don't understand. Joining in the blog discussion allows you to discuss the issues with others. You will also find things you never knew were in the bible. Many teachers tend to stick with areas they are familiar with and never teach all the principles in the bible.
You are embarking on a journey that will open you up to the entire truth God intended you to know in the way he intended you to know it.
It took me just over 18 months to finish the bible the first time I did it. You do not need to race.
I often got busy with other things and neglected my studies. It happens to all of us you just need to get back to the study.
Mistakes, missed days, slowing down, getting sick... None of these things is a reason to stop. Just pick up where you left off and continue on. I expect some may not even start until months after the blog begins. Go back to the post where you are in your study and join the quest. Eventually we will all reach the end and I pray we will all learn from it.
Now:
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you,
And Be Gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Let's continue to the first day's study.
The objective here is to take the readers through the Bible in one year. I'll follow a simple pre-planned course with a basic study guide pattern. The pattern will look like this example:
Thursday, January 1, 2009 Text: Genesis chapters 1-3
God's Message to me:
Promises:
Commands:
Timeless principles:
How can I apply what I've learned:
When I say "simple pre-planned course" I mean really simple. I use a large print bible I got at a department store for less than $10. It has 1763 pages and I divide by the 365 days in the year 2009AD to get about 5 pages a day.
There are other plans out there and other resources you may find better suited but, having read through the bible several times myself I find the cover to cover method works fine and becomes easier as you get used to reading routinely.
Don't be afraid to fall behind, as you get used to the reading you will catch up.
Don't be afraid to read ahead, Once I got used to reading the bible regularly I managed to go through it cover to cover in under 3 months.
Understand that this is not an in-depth analysis. Your reading through large sections at a time to get the overall meaning and embed God's message in your heart. Understand that you will find passages you don't understand. Joining in the blog discussion allows you to discuss the issues with others. You will also find things you never knew were in the bible. Many teachers tend to stick with areas they are familiar with and never teach all the principles in the bible.
You are embarking on a journey that will open you up to the entire truth God intended you to know in the way he intended you to know it.
It took me just over 18 months to finish the bible the first time I did it. You do not need to race.
I often got busy with other things and neglected my studies. It happens to all of us you just need to get back to the study.
Mistakes, missed days, slowing down, getting sick... None of these things is a reason to stop. Just pick up where you left off and continue on. I expect some may not even start until months after the blog begins. Go back to the post where you are in your study and join the quest. Eventually we will all reach the end and I pray we will all learn from it.
Now:
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you,
And Be Gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Let's continue to the first day's study.
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