Category: Genesis

Read Genesis 11:10-32

In case you were wondering what happened to Shem’s family – your wait is over. It is through Shem’s line that Abraham is born, and thereby the genetic path to Jesus. David pointed out to me that Shem’s brother’s children, while I couldn’t begin to pronounce or remember their names, were the family lines that started many nations, including Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon (to name a few). That was a super cool realization for me–something I had missed because I wasn’t a Bible scholar! So glad we have him to shed insights into this blog!

When reading the Bible we need to read it with the appropriate eyes. I remember sharing this when I taught a Bible Exploration class with 3rd graders after they were presented their Bibles. I’ll use an example to explain. When you read a history book, you expect to read about a historical account of some major event. When you read poetry, you don’t read it with the same “eyes” as you would historical book. You can throw in fiction, non-fiction, news articles, gossip column stories, etc. You read each of those with different “eyes” or perspectives. You don’t put expectations on a history book to rhyme, etc. Continue reading “Genesis 11:10-32 – Open My Eyes”

Read Genesis 11:1-9

Have you ever wondered why there are so many languages? According to Google there are 6,500 spoken languages in the world. Some of these have very few people speaking them, but that is a lot of different languages. This account in our reading today is how and where it all started. Of course, the family on the boat all spoke the same language, and as they populated the earth, the same language was spoken.

So what did God see in the people that made him want to change that? He saw the people were united. I would think that a unified group is a strong group. That comes from my experience with seeing the ill effects plaguing churches and organizations who are not unified. But God saw what their mission was. While they were unified on their mission, it was not the mission he had given them. Continue reading “Genesis 11:1-9 – Say What?”

Read Genesis 10:1-31

What did you think when you read this passage today? Did you marvel at the different names people used back then? Did you wonder, boy, I wonder what Dana is going to say about this one? Did you wonder why Dana included this reading and didn’t just pass it by?

I need to admit the names are quite something. I’m not sure I can remember but a few. And I’d have to draw out a chart to ever remember them and who belonged to who and what they did, etc. But I don’t think that’s what I was supposed to get out of today’s reading. Continue reading “Genesis 10:1-31 – What Do You Think?”

Read Genesis 9:18-28

Today’s reading was an obscure little story wasn’t it? A real life example. Noah was enjoying the fruits of his labor, literally. I had to read it several times to figure out what the significance might be. Maybe there was something I was missing in translation? Maybe there was a hidden meaning for the people of that time? Maybe it was just another example of how history was being quantified. After all, one might wonder why the Canaanites were always more impoverished and served as slaves.

Then I saw it! Ham should have just covered up his father and been done with it. Why did he have to make a big deal and go tell his brothers? It was like he was tattling on his own father. Not many of us have seen our parents naked. Why? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s a respect or modesty thing. People, in general, are just a little high strung about nakedness. As a society we have adopted the idea that showing the body is sexual, scandalous, private, etc. God made us naked, it was only after sin entered the world that nakedness became a problem.

So the older two boys were trying to protect their father in case someone else were to “accidentally” see. For that, their father blessed them and their descendants. Ham, on the other hand, received a curse. I bet he was rethinking his actions!

We are continuing in the “pre-history” portion of Genesis. The use of stories here helps explain how certain things came to be. The age-old question, “Why am I here?” will remain as we uncover God’s will for our individual lives. However, “How did I get here?” is answered a bit in these passages. We all have a history. We all share the same one at this point in time.

Lest we get caught up in details again, we can take away the importance of respecting the Father from this reading. God deserves our respect. While it is good to talk about him to others, we must do so with reverence and not flippantly or disrespectfully. You never know when you will be talking to someone who needs to hear from God.

Yesterday I met a woman for the second time. She was admiring our dog at the vet’s office. She said she doesn’t go to church. She just doesn’t believe in it. She grew up Catholic and will never set her foot in a church again. She is aligning herself with Buddhist tradition. She has obviously been hurt and needs to know the loving God I know. It’s times like those that I just let Jesus shine through.

Let’s pray. Lord, I love you with my whole heart. I thank you for opportunities to share my faith. When they come I ask for you to give me the words to speak. Help me to tell my story as you would like it told. I pray that I am always respectful of you and your power. That power is dwelling inside me, may I not forget! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Read Genesis 9:1-17

Were there parts of today’s reading that surprised you or spoke to you? Feel free to share in the comments. I always the love the rainbow promise and remember as a child always rushing outside after a storm to see if there was a rainbow.  Even as an adult, seeing a rainbow brings a certain amount of peace.

Can you imagine finally getting off the boat? Walking on dry land. Looking around and seeing nothing familiar and realizing you were charged with starting everything over! I’m not sure I can really fathom the enormity of that task and responsibility. I have moved to a new place many times and have had to start over. It takes a while to get your bearings, to find the right connections: church, doctors, shopping, etc. Noah had none of that. He had God to watch out for him and a loving family to help him. Continue reading “Genesis 9:1-17 – God’s Promise”