Presupposition of Gods Existence

Genesis explains Gods providential working in history. His plan has a starting point with creation and  has an end point when all his promises are fulfilled. Israel's ancestry, traceable to Abraham, and it's destiny, are all linked to Gods promises. Family records were written and preserved to show how God protected his people and the purity of the line...Jesus would come from this family line.  In the book of Genesis, the motifs of blessings and curses appears and this theme repeats through history forward to Christ.  There is blessed by faith and being damned and cursed by turning away from God.  God, the master of foreshadowing, warns his people and when they chose to not heed, they suffer at their own hands. Here is his very clear, unmistakable warning:  Don't fear human beings fear God, who has the power to bless and to curse.  The presupposition of Gods existence was and is a way of living for many, it is a birthright for the Israelites.  Until next time, in the Bible. 

God Is In The Details

Genesis traces genealogy.  It details briefly with family lines that are not Isrealite and than goes into detail for Isrealites...Gods people had mixed so much with their Caanite neighbours as to be almost blended. God made it happen that his people would be separated out through Joseph and the seventy family members that would move to Eygyt, grow and flourish, becoming a great nation. The Bible seems to do a backward and forward, criss crossing of information, the order of information is not chronological.  When one point is explained, there appears many more, giving clarity to Gods plan, giving us a glimpse into his master mindedness.  This brings us to his command to "Be still and know that I AM God". This reminder is so significant and profound as we work our way through the Bible as his created beings, seeing with human eyes.  God is in the details, as someone so aptly stated.  I erred in an early post when I said that Abraham was the author of the first five books of the Bible when authorship has been attributed to Moses. Moses had been raised as an Egyptian, and he had the skills to record the Israelite history and of course, he had a relationship with God. Israelite worship includes reenactment of their own rescue from Egypt; celebration of Gods factual intervention in history and their hope in his promises.  The events in Genesis cannot be validated from outside sources~no other records demonstrate that Abraham existed or that any of his family history occurred~this points us in the direction of the supernatural. The Israelites were used to the supernatural and perfectly ok with giving God credit for any and all historical events. Critics want proof where the Israelites had experienced Gods presence.  When archaeology and historical data are assembled around events, they fit perfectly and make good sense within the setting and details of the narratives in the Bible. Sometimes what we don't have an answer to today, gets dug up tomorrow...until next time in the Bible.

Decay and Death Inherited

Inheritance has a lovely connotation but in the instance of Adam & Eve, humanity inherited the legacy of their sin, the first or original sin, and this inheritance includes toil, sickness, suffering and the ultimate price, death.  In Genesis, God creates man from the dust of the earth and breathes life into the nostrils of Adam. Adam is made in the image of God, a stunning statement and reminder that we are to respect his work as we see it represented in each human being.  Sin and self indulgent pride gave way to disregard for Adam and Eve, as they chose to seek their own knowledge and control in life, eating from the one tree in the garden that would forever damn them, and us, to the decay and final death of the body. Innocence lost, pride before the fall, these go hand in hand. Sadly, God regrets creating humans, his disappointment must have been great.  Genesis explains the extent of Gods wrath as he warns and then does, wipe out all living things through an earth covering flood~he finds favour with only one man Noah, and through Noah, humanity is given new hope.  The flood purged the earth of abominable evil...think on this a moment.  What is the most evil and vile thought you can have?  What have you seen or heard that breaks your heart, enrages you, makes you sick to your stomach?  Humans are capable of unspeakable vileness and abominable evil.  What would make God regret creating man so much that he wanted to wipe out all but one, with a select few family members, riding on Noah's coat tails?  Man hasn't changed much, there are evil and vile acts in dark corners all around the world...God wiped the slate clean once, there will be one more time to come. Until next time, in the Bible.

Peace vs Restlessness

In Genesis light, life, order and peace are established. God created all and said afterward, it is good. He said this about everything, except darkness. In the "In the beginning" account, opposites appear~darkness, death, confusion and pain.  While creation in all its magnificence is attributed to God, destruction and decay are attributed to man through sin. The book of Genesis was written for the Israelites after their escape from Egypt where they had been slaves for four hundred years.  They had been influenced by their captors and God reclaims them, makes promises and a covenant. The contrasts between good vs evil begins and when looked at closely, Gods design had built into it order and peace to be enjoyed by man. Sin brought unrest and restlessness, a condition that persists to this day and that few have escaped. Light and life have been replaced with guilt and fear~fear of darkness is universal and it is then, in the dark of night particularly, that there is foreboding.  Here in lies the beauty of the creation story, choice.  God created with perfect conditions in mind for peaceful existence for man, giving him freedom of will to except the gift, to choose peace.  We know how the rest of this story goes as we live with the consequences of what God calls rebellion and sin.  Fact or fiction, either way, it seems a reasonable explanation for God in the world and man as he is now.  Until next time in the Bible.

The Five Books

There are five books that make up the Old Testament.  This collection of books is known as The Pentateuch which means five containers; The Law of Moses; The Torah which means instruction in Hebrew and in Greek means law. Genesis speaks of creation, the in the beginning account of Gods work and rest. In Exodus God mobilizes his people through Moses, redeeming them from slavery as promised to their ancestors.  God also reveals himself, is in and amongst the people during their escape and an agreement is stuck between him as God, Creator, and his people. There are do's and don'ts, promises from him to them, them to him and this becomes a powerful covenant, the first example of lawful arrangement between God and man.  In this covenant their is relationship, a request from God to be honoured and in return he would guide, watch over, protect and nourish his people, providing for their every need abundantly.  The relationship is Parental, Loving, Provisional...it is Gods generous offer to be with his children.  Next in the book line up is Leviticus, then Numbers and finally Deuteronomy.  There are seeds planted in these, the first five books of the Bible and they all bare fruit later, in Biblical record, through Christ.  We have just begun~until the next time in the Bible.

The Land of Canaan

"They stood on the verge of entering the land of Canaan, which God had promised to their ancestors".  This line is full of breath holding anticipation. There are many promises in the Bible, this is one of them.  From 70 family members, a group of people grew into a nation~this is Joseph's family, one of the Bibles main characters, not to be confused with Joseph, Jesus' earthly father.  This thriving group became enslaved when the reigning Egyptian King realized that they were accumulating wealth and he feared that they would become too powerful~he could not tolerate their numbers and found their behaviours repugnant, he despised them.  The people cried out to God, God promised them deliverance and that's what they got...as they gazed across the land, looking out over Canaan or the biblical Palestine, their eyes saw the promised land, a land of their own, they had been delivered to this place of Gods choosing and they had hope, visions of a new life, freedom~they had believed in the God of their ancestors, the God of promises, and their eyes drank in the beauty of their soon to be new home.  Believing before seeing, this is faith.  The rich heritage of trusting ancestors for the truth based on Gods promises is not lost...the promises wait to be read, believed, and drunk in for their stunning beauty.  Until next time in the Bible.

Abraham~The First God Father

God had a personal relationship with some key players in the Bible, Abraham was one of them. The first five books of the Bible are credited (mostly) to him as the author. Writing events down was important to Israel as a record for them, passing tradition from one generation to the next and more crucial than this, establishing who God was to be to the people as their one and only. God told Abraham that from him, nations would be established and a redemptive plan begun. Abraham trusted God and this is why he is considered the spiritual father of the Israelites~he was the first of many to say yes, ok, whatever you say God, my life I entrust to you. Abraham wasn't perfect, he had his weaknesses, his challenges, fears, understandably so, we all do~when courage was needed in the case of extreme requests, Abraham leaned into God, believed God knew what he was talking about and trusted.  The foreshadowing in the beginning, in the first five books, speaks of true faith~Abraham believed that all God promised would come to pass, even when there was no way of proving it would. It is no wonder God loved Abraham so.  It is no wonder that God placed in this mans hands, the future of nations.  It is no wonder that Gods Son would came from the ancestral line (the human side of Jesus), from this God loving loyal man, Abraham.  Abraham was the first God Father, leading Gods children to Him. More to come, until next time.

Correction:  Moses is credited as the author of the first five books, my apologies...Linda Byers

Good vs Evil

The story of good vs evil starts in the Bible and as a protective parent, God teaches his kids right from wrong, sin from right(eous) living and he teaches consequences. It is no accident that cause and effect are scientific and when I think of this law, it reminds me of sowing and reaping.  Biblically, there is an out for breaking the law, and it is called forgiveness. Being sorry means there is an internal shift, a shame felt and a desire to re form, change, re calibrate, correct and here in lies the gift for those who seek and find God, they are given second, third, multiple chances to get this life thing right~isn't this true with our own children?  How many chances do we give them before we throw up our hands and say enough, this is hopeless, helpless, they will never learn?  The God of the Bible is repulsed by sin, it is vile to him, he wants more for his children and tells them so.  He is also very patient, and he waits, and waits~he knows the heart.  Until next time.

Old & New Testaments

The Bible is ancient and starts with the Old Testament and ends with the New Testament.  What's the difference?  In the Old Testament, God establishes a special relationship with his people, there are promises and commands and requests from God~he is with them and they, the Isrealites, experience God relationally, to be clear, he talks and walks among them. The question of his existence never crosses their minds and as I write, I grin. They didn't need to prove God exists, they heard him, saw him in fire and smoke and other manifestations, they communed with their God.  God chose people to represent him, to be in relationship with him and he set them apart. The Isrealites were given strict orders to look only to him, the one who made them. He offered his protection and care when they abided and when they didn't, they took themselves out from under his protective umbrella. You and I, we know how this works:  I can tell my 16 son that driving fast could result in a speeding ticket and if he chooses to not heed the warning, speeds and gets pulled over, he is subject to a law outside of our home, where I cannot protect him nor can I save him from consequences.  So it is with God~Does this mean God only loves his chosen people, the Isrealities?  Absolutely not, any and all people are welcome to him...he gives us the option of choosing, it is up to us to decide.  With idol worship, human sacrifices and other detestable to God activities all around them, the Isrealites were different from their neighbouring communities in their worship and faith filled practices. Don't just trust The Bible on this, it is written elsewhere too.  Go find out for yourself!  God isn't secretive and he isn't chaotic, Truth never is.  To finish this up with the differences between the old and the new, the New Testament is about the life, death of...okay...more next time.

Todays News in Ancient Times

The Bible is a stand alone book with merit as a solo piece of pieced together work. Many writers contributed to the book of accounts, unbeknownst to them.  The authors of the many books in one didn't write with the notion of it ever being published, passed down maybe, handed out, but never published, and yet...there is a common thread, a truism that weaves it's way throughout from beginning to end, giving the reader a sense of continuity, a feeling that what is written is trustworthy. By itself, The Bible is magnificent AND in exciting news, many of the accounts it contains are authenticated, mentioned in outside sources, other ancient writings.  The Bible as we call it and know it today was written on the go, with writers recording happenings in their day, without the need to make things up to prove a point. They wrote like I am doing now, observing and recording, albeit from my own as honest as possible perspective.  Their records are consistent with the other news of the day that people outside of their community wrote. The matches are numerous, simple and indisputable~Truth is like that, simple.  Here is one of the huge differences between other ancient writings and The Bible:  while the others exist, they have not been mass produced, I can't go to Chapters and buy myself a copy.  Does this prove that Gods hand was on The Work?  Maybe, maybe not...it sure is a curiosity though.  More on The Bible soon.

In the beginning...

I have read the bible before, cover to cover, and I like it. It's a magical read because each time I spend time in it, it would appear to me to be a completely different book...strange, because this is the only book that I have had this experience with. I decided recently to read it slowly, to take notes of my learnings and to savour the wisdom~mine is a study bible, and as I read I am edified. I have friends that find this book very difficult to understand and for this reason, I feel happily compelled to share what I glean from The Good Book. I will have fun writing and I hope many have fun reading as we dive in, together, head than heart first, into The Bible.