JOSHUA

Now we move from The Pentateuch (Torah) to what many scholars refer to as the Deuteronomic History or The Historical books. The introduction to this old testament section in The New Jerusalem Bible indicates: "The books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings form one great history, telling the story of Israel from the settlement in Palestine until the Babylonian exile. The materials on which the author draws vary enormously, from folk-tales, through cycles of stories about Elijah and Elisha, to court records of the kings. But the final editor is concerned above all with one viewpoint: fidelity to Yahweh brings prosperity, while desertion of him brings punishment. Throughout these 600 years Israel again and again deserts the covenant and needs to be drawn back to its duty.
-- The New Jerusalem Bible. New York : Doubleday, 1985, Jos

“This first book of the deuteronomic history (The Book of Joshua} begins by recounting the conquest of the Promised Land. (The New Jerusalem Bible. New York : Doubleday, 1985, Jos) In the first twelve chapters of Joshua the Promised Land is entered. Then in chapters 13–21 we see the land divided. The book concludes with the final message of Joshua to his people .The great theme of Joshua is possession. --McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary: History of Israel (Joshua/Judges). electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1991 (Thru the Bible Commentary 10), S. 13

Here we will find many of the Bible stories we learned as children in Sunday School. Such wonderful and meaningful stories they are. John MacArthur in his introduction to Joshua says: “This is the first of the 12 historical books, and it gained its name from the exploits of Joshua, the understudy whom Moses prayed for and commissioned as a leader in Israel (Nu 27:12–23). “Joshua” means “Jehovah saves,” or “the Lord is salvation,” and corresponds to the NT name “Jesus.” God delivered Israel in Joshua’s day when He was personally present as the saving Commander who fought on Israel’s behalf (5:14–6:2;10:42; 23:3, 5; Ac 7:45).
--MacArthur, John: The MacArthur Study Bible : New American Standard Bible. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006

So let us prayerfully and studiously proceed with The Book o Joshua. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in thy sight, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer.
--Psalms 19:14 (ASV)

Some Final Thoughts on Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy is one of the most often quoted Old Testament books in the New Testament. There is much there of great significance. Moses is a larger than life figure who demonstrates again how God can take a reluctant ordinary man and turn him into a great person carrying out God’s work.

A term that has appeared often in Deuteronomy and had bothered me for years is “fear of the Lord”. The connotation here is a negative one but really what is meant is as indicated in the glossary of The Disciples Study Bible: “No single English word conveys every aspect of the word fear in this phrase. The meaning includes worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect to the covenant-keeping God of Israel.”

Thus we have finished the five books of the Penteteuch (Torah). And " Then, leaving the Plains of Moab, Moses went up Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah opposite Jericho, and Yahweh showed him the whole country: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 the whole of Naphtali, the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, the whole country of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the region of the Valley of Jericho, city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Yahweh said to him, ‘This is the country which I promised on oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying: I shall give it to your descendants. I have allowed you to see it for yourself, but you will not cross into it.’ 5 There in the country of Moab, Moses, servant of Yahweh, died as Yahweh decreed; 6 he * buried him in the valley, in the country of Moab, opposite Beth-Peor; but to this day no one has ever found his grave. 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye undimmed, his vigour unimpaired. ” The New Jerusalem Bible. New York : Doubleday, 1985, S. Dt 34:1-7

J. Vernon McGee has this intriguing note: “Why was his sepulchre unknown? Because of the fact that Moses was to be raised from the dead and brought into the Promised Land. You will remember that when the Lord Jesus was transfigured on the mount, both Moses and Elijah appeared with Him and spoke about His approaching death. So, you see, Moses did get to the Promised Land eventually. The Law could not bring Moses into the land, but the Lord Jesus Christ brought him in. McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary: The Law (Deuteronomy). electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1991 (Thru the Bible Commentary 09), S. 207

THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE PENTATEUCH

DEUTERONOMY

Before we get too far into Deuteronomy, let me apologize for my misquoting the las reading in numbers, I know that there are only 36 chapters in Numbers and hence the final reading as stated 33 – 46 is incorrect. I hope is still looking for the “missing chapters”. I realize that I am a poor proof reader. Again I am sorry, I hope it doesn’t happen again.

-

Now let’s dig into Deuteronomy. There are many approaches to this final (fifth) book of the Penteteuch (Torah). I like to think of it simply as Moses farewell sermon, but that is perhaps an over-simplification. We’ll now see how other commentators look at this important book:

The Disciples Study Bible:
Moses performed one last task for God. He preached three sermons seeking to answer the people’s questions. In the first (1:6-4:43) he recounted the wondrous acts the Lord had performed on behalf of His people. In the second (4:44-28:68) he reiterated and expanded upon the Law of Yahweh (God). In the third (29:1-30:20) he led the new generation to renew the covenant which had been enacted earlier at Horeb. The covenant was that formal agreement that reflected the intimate relationship between God and His people. This covenant relationship was as vital for a people entering a new land as it was for the nation wandering in the wilderness. Deuteronomy defines that covenant relationship between God and His people.

-Disciple’s Study Bible, Copyright © 1988 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN. All rights reserved.

Further:

The Book of Deuteronomy gave the foundation and motivation for the new generation of God’s people to appropriate and live in the land of promise by focusing on these themes:

1. the nature and character of God,

2. the covenant relationship,

3. the response of God’s people in faith,

4. the concept of sin and its effects.

-Disciple’s Study Bible, Copyright © 1988 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN. All rights reserved.

John MacArthur in The MacArthur Bible Handbook:
The English title “Deuteronomy” comes from the incorrect translation in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) of “copy of this law” in 17:18 as “second law,” which was later translated again as Deuteronomium in the Latin version (Vulgate). The original Hebrew title of the book is translated “These are the words,” from the first two Hebrew words of the book. This Hebrew title is a better description of the book since it is not a “second law,” but rather the record of Moses’ words of explanation concerning the law. Deuteronomy completes the five-part literary unit called the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.

-MacArthur, John: The MacArthur Bible Handbook. Nashville, Tenn. : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003, S. 49

John MacArthur in The MacArthur Bible Handbook:
The majority of the book is comprised of farewell speeches that the 120-year-old Moses gave to Israel, beginning on the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year after the Exodus from Egypt (1:3). These speeches can be dated Jan.–Feb., 1405 B.C. In the last few weeks of Moses’ life, he committed these speeches to writing and gave them to the priests and elders for the coming generations of Israel (31:9, 24–26).
-MacArthur, John: The MacArthur Bible Handbook. Nashville, Tenn. : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003, S. 49

J. Vernon McGee in Thru The Bible Commentary:
The theme of Deuteronomy may surprise you. The great theme is Love and Obey. You may not have realized that the love of God was mentioned that far back in the Bible, but the word love occurs twenty–two times. The Lord Jesus was not attempting to give something that was brand new when He said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Deuteronomy teaches that obedience is man’s response to God’s love. This is not the gospel, but the great principle of it is here. And let’s understand one thing: the Law is good. Although I emphasize and overemphasize the fact that God cannot save us by Law, that does not imply that the Law is not good. Of course the Law is good. Do you know where the trouble lies? The trouble is with you and me. Therefore God must save us only by His grace



The Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testament:

“Deuteronomy is one of the greatest books of the Old Testament. Its influence on the domestic and personal religion of all ages has not been surpassed by any other book in the Bible. It is quoted over eighty times in the New Testament and thus it belongs to a small group of four Old Testament books [Genesis, Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Isaiah] to which the early Christians made frequent reference.” .
—J. A. Thompson

Our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan for forty days and nights in the wilderness. Three of these temptations are specifically recounted in the Gospels for our spiritual benefit. Not only did Christ use the OT “sword of the Spirit” three times, but each time He used the same part of the “blade”—Deuteronomy! It is likely that this book was one of Jesus’ favorites—and it should be one of ours as well. Deuteronomy has been sadly neglected in many quarters, perhaps due to its somewhat inappropriate title in English, which is from the Greek Septuagint. Its meaning, “Second Law,” has given some the false idea that the book is merely a recapitulation of material already presented in Exodus through Numbers. God never repeats just to repeat—there is always a different emphasis or new details. So also with Deuteronomy, a marvelous book worthy of careful study.
 --MacDonald, William ; Farstad, Arthur: Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995, S. Dt 1:1

Now as we move on let us remember that after forty years of wandering in the wilderness the children of Israel are poised to enter the promised land without Moses. As Rev McGee says “ a marvelous book worthy of careful study”/.

The Book of Numbers - A Start

NUMBERS – The Fourth Book of the Pentateuch

May the words of my mouth always find favour, and the whispering of my heart, in your presence, Yahweh, my rock, my redeemer.
                                                   Psalm 19:14 New Jerusalem Bible

Folks we have made it through what many folks consider the most “boring” book in the Bible, but I don’t think it is all smooth sailing from here, For instance the placement of the tribes in the book of Numbers which we are starting is not the easiest reading. John MacArthur in The MacArthur Book Handbook (2003, Thomas Nelson Publishers) indicates:

The English title “Numbers” comes from the Greek (LXX) and Latin Vulgate versions, the ancient translations compiled by Bible scholars. The ancient Greek title given was arithmoi, from which we get the English word arithmetic. Latin translators later gave the book the title numeri, which English has borrowed as its general word numbers. This designation is based on the numberings that are a major focus of chaps. 1–4 and 26. The most common Hebrew title comes from the fifth word in the Hebrew text of 1:1, “in the wilderness [of].” This name is much more descriptive of the total contents of the book, which recount the history of Israel during almost thirty-nine years of wandering in the wilderness. Another Hebrew title, favored by some early church Fathers, is based on the first word of the Hebrew text of 1:1, “and He spoke.” This designation emphasizes that the book records the Word of God to Israel.

The instruction for Moses, Aaron, and the tribal leaders to carry out a census of the available militia took place 13 months after the exodus from Egypt, placing the context in about 1440 or 1275 B.C., depending upon the dating of the exodus event—Apologetics Study Bible, The

Thus the book of Numbers begins with God instructed that a census be conducted. It should be noted that this census excludes certain groups namely anyone under the age of 20, women and notably Levites.

Numbers 2:33-34 tells us: 32 These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All those in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550. 33 The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses
                                                                    Num 2:32-33 (NIV)

So we can extrapolate that the total number of Israelites moving into the wilderness was somewhere in the vicinity of 1.5 million. That is a significant number. Now let us see how the journey progresses.
 
The New Jerusalem Bible. 1985 (Ps 19:14). New York: Doubleday.

MacArthur, J. (2003). The MacArthur Bible handbook. "Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc."--T.p. verso.; Includes index. (41). Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Leviticus and On-going Questions

February – Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua


Here we are in February 2010 having completed our first month of Read Through The Bible in 2010. During that first month we have read very familiar passages from Genesis and Exodus and less familiar and more difficult passages in Leviticus as we move into February. I have heard it said of Read through the Bible programs that if you can make it through Leviticus you can make it through the entire Bible. Folks we have nearly made it and while it was not easy there are things we have learned.

J. Vernon McGee, a commentator of a few years ago says: ‘The book opens and closes at the same geographical spot, Mount Sinai, where God gave the Law. You will remember that Exodus concluded with the construction of the tabernacle according to God’s instructions and then the filling of the tabernacle with the glory of the Lord. Leviticus continues by giving the order and rules of worship in the tabernacle. Leviticus is the great book on worship.’ Since that is part of our mission as Christians and Gods children this is an important book for us.

Rev. Quinn Caldwell, Associate Minister of Old South Church in Boston (Pastor Jennifer’s former position) recently commented in a devotional that he had found that when the words just did not come that prayer always seemed to help. I found this to be most helpful in my last post and was about to forget here.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
                                      -Psalms 19:14 NIV

Having almost read through three of the five books of the Pentateuch, we have covered many familiar and sustaining accounts. As I previously indicated, every time I read a Bible passage I discover something new or something I had not noticed before. This time is no exception. There are of course more questions:

Were the days in the creation account 24 hour days?

Were Adam and Eve real or metaphorical characters?

Many commentators believe that Moses wrote the entire Peneteuch while “critical” commentators say how could he write of his own death?

Just three of the many questions, just the beginning, there will be many more.

One of our group has been struck by the willingness of many of the patriarchs to place there women (wives, daughters) into prostitution. How is this? Perhaps we begin with a definition as used in the Bible:

PROSTITUTION — the act or practice of promiscuous sexual relations, especially for money. Several words are used for a woman who engages in illicit sexual activity for pay, including HARLOT, whore, and prostitute.


One type of harlot was the temple prostitute, who performed sexual acts at a heathen temple (Hos. 4:12–14). Both male and female cult prostitutes presided at these temples. Whenever Judah was ruled by a righteous king, this king sought to remove the temple prostitutes from the land (2 Kin. 23:4–14).


Jerusalem is pictured as playing the part of a harlot. But instead of being paid for her services, she paid others (Ezek. 16:15–59)! Those who worshiped idols were also referred to in a symbolic way as harlots (Judg. 2:17).2
Now that was interesting but since Abraham, Issac and Lot did not place their ladies into
Prostitution for monetary profit, it really doesn’t apply.



Let us look in the same place for women:

WOMAN — a female adult. However, the word “woman” is sometimes used in the Bible to refer to a weak and helpless man (Is. 3:12; 19:16).


In order to understand the Old Testament view of woman, one must turn to the Book of Genesis. When God created mankind, He created both “male and female” (Gen. 1:27; 5:2). Both were created in God’s image and both were given the responsibility of exercising authority over God’s creation. The man was created before the woman. Because the man needed companionship and a helper, God caused the man to sleep. From him He created a woman, “a helper comparable to him” (Gen. 2:18, 20). Man is incomplete without woman. Because she is called a “helper” does not imply that she is inferior to man. The same Hebrew word translated as helper is used of God in His relationship to Israel (Ps. 33:20; 70:5).


The culture that developed around the Israelites in ancient times did not always have this perspective of woman. Certain Old Testament passages tend to reflect an attitude that woman was little more than a thing and that a woman should be entirely subordinate to a man. This tendency became pronounced before the coming of Christ. One of the Jewish prayers that dated from that era declared, “I thank Thee that I am not a woman.”


Jesus lived and taught a better way—the way of love. He invited women to accompany Him and His disciples on their journeys (Luke 8:1–3). He talked with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well and led her to a conversion experience (John 4). Jesus did not think it strange that Mary sat at His feet, assuming the role of a disciple; in fact, He suggested to Martha that she should do likewise (Luke 10:38–42). Although the Jews segregated the women in both Temple and synagogue, the early church did not separate the congregation by sex (Acts 12:1–17; 1 Cor. 11:2–16).


The apostle Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Within the writings of Paul, however, other statements restrict women from participating in church leadership as freely as men. Women were to keep silent in church; they were to be submissive to the male leaders (1 Cor. 14:34–35; 1 Tim. 2:11–12).


How does one reconcile these two seemingly opposing views? In Galatians Paul was stating a general principle that men and women were equal, just as the slaves are equal to their masters in the sight of God. However, Paul did not require or teach that the slaveholder had to release his slaves. In the same manner, Paul requested the women to be submissive to their husbands—to preserve order within the church and to be a witness to outsiders.


Some of the finest leaders in Israel were women, in spite of the fact that the culture was male-dominated. Military victories were sometimes won because of the courage of one woman (Judges 4–5; 9:54; Esth. 4:16). God revealed His Word through Prophetesses (Judg. 4:4; Luke 2:36; Acts 21:9). God used Priscilla and her husband Aquila to explain “the way of God more accurately” to Apollos the preacher (Acts 18:26). The heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 include Sarah (v. 11), Moses’ mother (v. 23), and Rahab the harlot (v. 31).

It becomes obvious that this is not an easy issue. These patriarchs seemed to have placed their wives in these situations to protect themselves. Remembering that women were thought of as property by this culture will perhaps help us to better understand. This issue will not go away.

The next posting will relate to Numbers.
_________________________________________________________________________________
2 & 3 Youngblood, Ronald F. ; Bruce, F. F. ; Harrison, R. K. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995

EXODUS

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 – ESV

EXODUS

Dr. Robert L Cate in The Layman’s Bible Book Commentary, Volume 2, Exodus (Nashville, Broadman Press) indicates “the book of Exodus is one of the most important books in the Old Testament. …. In this exodus Israel made a geographical pilgrimage from Egypt to Sinai, a social pilgrimage from slavery to freedom, and a spiritual pilgrimage from being merely the sons of Israel to being the covenant people of God”. In this old testament book we find the very foundations of God’s people and kingdom.

Here also we find Moses who is said to be the author of the Penteuch. More interesting he is just another flawed man, with many excuses, used by God in a most meaningful way. We will see again and again that God uses ordinary men in extraordinary ways.

As we consider the importance of Exodus let’s remember that here are found the burning bush, the plagues, the exodus from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the ten commandments and so much more. As we proceed we will discover that Exodus is one of the more readable books.

Another interesting piece of “Twisted Scripture” from The Apologetics Study Bible:

Twisted Scripture: Exodus 31:12-17

According to the Seventh-day Adventists and other sabbatarian sects, the fourth commandment is an eternal decree to be obeyed by all throughout the ages. Since the Sabbath is Saturday, the sabbatarians deduce that Christians should be worshiping on the seventh day of the week, not the first. This passage, however, was not addressed to the church but to the children of Israel. Being under the new covenant, Christians are freed from the law of Moses (Rm 6:14; 14:5; Gl 3:24). The primitive church worshiped on the first day of the week (Ac 20:7; 1 Co 16:1-2), commemorating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

—Apologetics Study Bible, The

Day 14 - Catch Up - Genesis 10 - 45

Genesis 10 – 45 A Catch Up Look

Since the beginning of blogs I have been an avid follower of certain blogs. One frustration I have had is when the blog is not updated on a regular basis. Now I understand why. I have gone eleven days without posting. I sincerely apologize. Hence the catch-up phrase. This much of the following commentary is strictly my perspective.

Chapter 11 deals with the Tower of Babel. We are told at this time the entire “earth had one language and the same words”. (Genesis 11:1 ESV) Now God came down, looked around and determine that man was attempting to gain all the knowledge of God. So the language was confused. And it remains so even though man still tries to establish himself as Gods equal.

Now comes on the scene The father of the patriarchs Abram (Abraham). Abraham was indeed a man of great faith. It seems the Lord spoke and Abraham responded as told. Can you say with confidence that you would move your family to an unknown place or that you would kill your son because God told you to. I think most of us would have to struggle with this.

It is true that God made a covenant with Abraham and that He blessed him in many ways.
I realize that Abraham lived in a different time and culture than your humble host. However, I think this is another example of God using a flawed individual in a powerful way. Genesis 12:10 – 13 “..So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” (ESV) I may be off base but it seems to me that this is a rather cowardly action, to hide behind your wife to save your own life. What do you thin?

Some fundamentalist support this sort of action with their attitude toward women.

(To be Continued)

The Flood - Two By Two?

DAY 3  GENESIS 7 – 9


The first eleven chapters of Genesis are known by many commentators as “primeval history”. In three days we will have read nine of the eleven chapters. A comment was this morning by one of the participants in this study that he had read through the Bible ten times and this time he was rather surprised at how quickly the “flood” account came up. I too was surprised.

I have noted before that I have read through several times and each time I discover things that I had not noticed before. This time I noticed something marvelous in 6:19 “19 From all living creatures, from all living things, you must take two of each kind aboard the ark, to save their lives with yours; they must be a male and a female.” and then in 7:2 “2 Of every clean animal you must take seven pairs, a male and its female; of the unclean animals you must take one pair, a male and its female 3 (and of the birds of heaven, seven pairs, a male and its female), to preserve their species throughout the earth. ” It occurs to me that all of my life I heard about taking the animal aboard the ark “two by two”, now what about the extra six pairs? John MacArthur indicates: “ The extra 6 pairs of clean animals and birds would be used for sacrifice (8:20) and food (9:3) ”. This is another wonderful example of the spiritual “The Lord Will Provide”. God here has provided the sacrifice in the same way that “…he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Day 2 - Questions and More Questions

January 2, 2010 - Genesis 4 – 6


Readings for January 3rd, 2010 – Genesis 7 – 9

What a start in just two days and six chapters of Genesis we have encountered many of the most troubling questions of the Bible. Questions such as:

1. Are Adam and Eve real or just a metaphor?

2. . How do we interpret the creation account? Are the days 24 hour days?

3. Genesis 1:26 says: 26Then God said, “Let us make man£ in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)

Did you notice that the passage says “Let us make man in our image…”?

(At this point it should be noted that the Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam).

Now we come to today’s readings. And another question arises: Why was Abel’s offering acceptable and Cain’s was not? ). The Apologetics study Bible indicates: “God preferred Abel's offering not because He liked meat more than vegetables or shepherds more than farmers, but because Abel's offering was made in faith (Heb 11:4). He offered the best of his flock ("the firstborn"), and Cain offered only "some" of his produce (Gn 4:3; cp. Ex 23:19; Lv 2:14).—Apologetics Study Bible, The

Twisted Scripture: Genesis 4:19

Mormons cite this verse and their own scriptures (Doctrines and Covenants, section 132) in order to justify polygamy. Polygamy, however, came into existence only after the fall in the garden. The creation mandate directs that a man shall be joined to one wife (2:24). Other verses that teach monogamy include Pr 5:18-19; Mal 2:14-15; Mk 10:2-8; 1 Co 7:2, 10; 1 Tm 3:2, 12; and Titus 1:6. While there are examples of polygamy in the OT (2 Sm 5:13; 1 Kg 11:3), they did not receive God's approval. Instead God, in His mercy, issued laws to protect the many wives and children of polygamists.

—Apologetics Study Bible, The

Is that not interesting? Often wondered how polygamy was justified.

And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. .” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.). Now what was this “mark? John MacArthur in his notes on Genesis 4:15 says: “4:15 sign. While not described here, it involved some sort of identifiable mark that he was under divine protection which was mercifully given to Cain by God. At the same time, the mark that saved him was the lifelong sign of his shame. “

Now we come to Adam’s descendants to Noah in Chapter 5. It is here that we become aware the exceptional age of these patriarchs. Methuselah lived 969 years Joesph 110, that is a significant span that seems to have diminished after the flood.

How Old Were the Patriarchs?

ADAM 930 years (Gen. 5:5)

SETH 912 years (Gen. 5:8)

ENOSH 905 years (Gen. 5:11)

ENOCH 365 years (Gen. 5:23)

METHUSELAH 969 years (Gen. 5:27)

LAMECH 777 years (Gen. 5:31)

NOAH 950 years (Gen. 9:29)

~~~ The Flood ~~~

SHEM 600 years (Gen. 11:10, 11)

EBER 464 years (Gen. 11:16, 17)

TERAH 205 years (Gen. 11:32)

ABRAHAM 175 years (Gen. 25:7)

ISAAC 180 years (Gen. 35:28)

JACOB 147 years (Gen. 47:28)

JOSEPH 110 years (Gen. 50:26)

The patriarchs who lieved before the Flood had an average lifespan of 900 years (Gen. 5). The ages of post-Flood patriarchs dropped rapidly and gradually leveled off (Gen. 11). Some suggest that this is due to major environmental changes brought about by the Flood.

Chapter 6 deals with the Nephilum and with Noah and the coming flood. It seems the earth had become an evil place and God was disappointed with His creation. Does that seem familiar?

A pastor friend of mine once said that he carried a small notebook in his pocket on which he wrote all of these questions for which there seemed to be no definitive answer. When he get to heaven he will ask God. We have a good start on our own notebooks.
Again Adam lived to be 930 years and it seems his memory was still good. I’ve just made it to 67 and my memory is slipping. Here is an interesting Twisted scripture that goes with Genesis 1:27:

Twisted Scripture: Genesis 1:27

Modern-day vampires trace their origins to this verse and the mythical figure of Lilith, who was supposedly created before Eve. The legend of Lilith derives from a theory that Genesis has two creation accounts (this verse and 2:7, 20-22). The two stories allow for two different women. Lilith does not appear in the Bible (apart from a debatable reference comparing her to a screech owl in the Hb text of Isa 34:14). Some rabbinic commentators, however, refer to Lilith as the first created woman, who refused to submit to Adam and fled from the garden. Eve was then created to be Adam's helper. After their expulsion from the garden, Adam reunited for a time with Lilith before finally returning to Eve. Lilith bore Adam a number of children, who became the demons of the Bible. According to kabbalistic legend, after Adam's reconciliation with Eve, Lilith took the title Queen of the Demons and became a murderer of infants and young boys, whom she turned into vampires.

—Apologetics Study Bible, The

HAPPY NEW YEAR - January 1, 2010 - Day 1 Genesis 1 - 3

GENESIS – THE BEGINNING




The New Jerusalem Bible indicates: Genesis, the story of origins, sets the scene for the whole Bible. It is the first book in our Bibles and it is the first of five scrolls in the Pentateuch the Hebrew Scriptures (Torah). Jack Hayford says “Genesis gives the beginning of almost everything, including the beginning of the universe, life, humanity, Sabbath, death, marriage, sin, redemption, family, literature, cities, art, language and sacrifice.” So let us begin.

The Creation of the World, Paradise, and the Test of Free Will and The Fall are the titles for the first three chapters in The New Jerusalem Bible. The first three chapters present us with many questions. The first bit of trivia from The Apologetics Study Bible:

Twisted Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2

The creation story has been interpreted in various ways. Some Christians believe a time gap exists between these verses, with verse 1 referring to God's initial creative act and verse 2 describing a world plunged into chaos and darkness, possibly through the expulsion of Satan from heaven. Only later in the chapter does God choose to create human beings (v. 27). According to this gap theory, millions of years could have passed between verses 1 and 2.

Using similar logic, those followers of the New Age movement who believe in the existence of the lost continent of Atlantis place the rise and fall of the ancient civilization between verses 1-2. Edgar Cayce, known as the "sleeping prophet," taught that Atlantis existed 10 million years ago and was inhabited by spirit beings. After a cataclysmic destruction ("chaos and darkness"), the spirits of the inhabitants eventually took up residence in the bodies of Adam and Eve and the others who populated God's new creation (v. 27). Thus all earthlings originally resided in Atlantis.

—Apologetics Study Bible, The

Two creation accounts, Atlantis, Edgar Cayce, all of this in the first chapters of Genesis? Not only that but “The Hebrew word for "God," Elohim, is grammatically plural—Apologetics Study Bible, This has been interpreted by some, including the Masons in Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, to mean that we are all gods. Wow, all of this and more in our first read. This is why prayer and the leadership of the Holy Spirit is essential.

Bible. English. New Jerusalem Bible. 1990.
The New Jerusalem Bible.—Reader’s ed.
The New Jerusalem Bible. New York : Doubleday, 1985

Hayford’s Bible Handbook
Copyright 1995 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Hayford, Jack W. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Hayford's Bible Handbook. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995


The Apologetics Study Bible —Apologetics Study Bible, The
Copyright © 2007 by Holman Bible Publishers. Database © 2007 WORDsearch Corp.

Addendum to Genesis 1 – 3


Over the years in my Bible studies I have used many reference resources ranging from very conservative to extremely liberal. One such resource that I have avoided until recently is the Holman Christian Standard version published in 1999. I recently acquired a copy of The Apogetics Study Bible in the Homan Christian Standard Version. In my opinion the Bible texts are sound but the study portions are very conservative to the extreme. However, I have found the “Twisted Scripture” portions to be quite interesting and illustrative of the point that we must be extremely careful in our interpretation. You will find that I will use some of these throughout this study. Here are two that go with the readings for January 1st.

Twisted Scripture: Genesis 1:27

Modern-day vampires trace their origins to this verse and the mythical figure of Lilith, who was supposedly created before Eve. The legend of Lilith derives from a theory that Genesis has two creation accounts (this verse and 2:7, 20-22). The two stories allow for two different women. Lilith does not appear in the Bible (apart from a debatable reference comparing her to a screech owl in the Hb text of Isa 34:14). Some rabbinic commentators, however, refer to Lilith as the first created woman, who refused to submit to Adam and fled from the garden. Eve was then created to be Adam's helper. After their expulsion from the garden, Adam reunited for a time with Lilith before finally returning to Eve. Lilith bore Adam a number of children, who became the demons of the Bible. According to kabbalistic legend, after Adam's reconciliation with Eve, Lilith took the title Queen of the Demons and became a murderer of infants and young boys, whom she turned into vampires.

Twisted Scripture: Genesis 3:15

Many Pentecostal Oneness sects use this verse to promote the serpent seed theory. William Branham, a faith healing evangelist of the 1940s, taught that Eve's sin in the garden was an illicit sexual affair with the serpent, resulting in her pregnancy. The serpent's seed was Cain and his descendants. Scripture is clear that the first sin was not sexual but rather consisted of Adam's disobedience to God's command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:16-17).

(The Apologetics Study Bible. Copyright 2007, Holman Bible Publishers. Nashville, Tennessee)

IS GOD STILL SPEAKING?

WHAT DO WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE BIBLE?

“Of course the Bible is important I just don’t have time for it that is why we pay preachers.” This is the type of statement that is frequently heard. Unfortunately it is both dangerous and misses many blessings. This is the type of attitude that leads to Jim Jones and Jim Baker experiences. Further it leads certain groups to deny women certain church leadership positions and further to demand the need for a wife to "submit herself graciously" to her husband's authority. A local theologian has gone further by indicating that Gods purpose in creating woman was that she should bear children and if she has not done so she is living in sin. These interpretations from scripture seem far-fetched to me. It highlights the need for some guidelines and values we need as we approach these sacred writings.

Rev. Martin B. Copenhaver, Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church UCC, Wellesley, Massachusetts, in an article titled “How We Read The Bible in the United Church of Christ” in the booklet The Bible and the United Church of Christ has outlined the values that will be used in this Bible study. They are:

1. We read the Bible as God’s word to us.

2. We read the Bible as a book with special authority.

3. We keep in mind what form of literature we are reading.

4. We do not always read the Bible literally.

5. We read the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

6. We consider what new things the still speaking God might be saying to us through the Bible.

7. We read the Bible in community.

“God is Still Speaking” and “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” are more than slick advertising phrases. Let us pray that as we read the scriptures during the coming year that God will indeed speak to and through us, Let’s not place period where God is still at work..