Genesis 19: This chapter is about rescuing Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I found several parts of this chapter troubling. First, the fact that Lot offered his virgin daughters to the men of the town so they wouldn’t harm his guests: “Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please” (Gen 19.8). That one definitely bothered me. Second, the death of Lot’s wife bothers me: “But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Gen 19.26). I kinda feel this was Lot’s fault. Yes she turned around, but he hesitated several times and questioned the angels. Last, the whole incest thing: “‘Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the world. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve off spring through our father.’” (Gen 19.32-33) Just wow! Granted, his daughters thought they were the last people, but wow. One last thing, why was Gomorrah destroyed? It’s not really clear from this chapter. The first mention of Gomorrah in this chapter comes in Gen 19.24: “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” The only explanation I could find is from Gen 19.29: “when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had settled.”
7/8 Reading (Genesis 16-18; Psalms 1-5)
I noticed I had a lot to say on this reading. I think it’s because today’s reading included an introduction to the Psalms.
Genesis 16: Story of Sarai offering Hagar to Abraham since Sarai is barren. After Hagar gets pregnant, Sarai throws her out and Abraham lets Sarai do it because he says Hagar is her slave. Hagar is visited by an Angel, who she thinks is God. She calls him El-roi? Note indicates this means either God of seeing or God who sees. After reading the notes I was reminded that there was a time when women gave their slaves to their husbands and took the kid as their own.
7/7 Reading (Genesis 13-15; Luke 5)
Genesis 13: Abraham leaves Egypt to return to Canaan. In this chapter Lot and Abraham split up because there was not enough land for their animals and other things. There was mention to Zoar, Sodom, and Gomorrah for the first time. I’m really trying to focus on the story of Abraham so I can better understand it. I hear a lot about Abraham, but I honestly don’t know a lot about him.
7/6 Reading (Genesis 10-12; Luke 4)
Genesis 10: Chapter is all about Noah’s descendants and where they lived. His son’s and their descendants moved to different parts of the Middle East. Based on what’s written here, it seems like they each had their own language. The descriptions of each son ends with “These are the descendants of Japheth in their lands, with their own language, by their families, in their nations” (10.5). 10.20 is similar except it is about Ham. 10.31 is about Shem. These verses definitely make it sound like each group has their own language. More on this in the next chapter.
7/5 Reading (Genesis 7-9; Luke 3)
Genesis 7: Chapter is about the Great Flood. I’m still stuck on a thought from yesterday. HOW did everyone get to be so evil except for Noah and his family? Also, first God tells Noah “Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth” (7.2-3). Later in the chapter I read this: “they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every bird of every kind—every bird, every winged creature” (7.14). I may be reading this wrong or being too critical, but from what I remember, Noah took two of every kind of species. That seems to align with what is said in verse 14, but not what is said in verses 2-3. From the notes this was done because of the later sacrifices. I was happy to see this statement in the notes section: “Though many world traditions speak of floods, there is no geological evidence of a global flood of the sort described here” (p. 20-21).
7/4 Reading (Genesis 4-6; Luke 2)
Genesis 4: Story of Cain and Abel. I’ve been reading a really fun series called the Belial Stone and there is a lot of references to Genesis. There are several characters from Genesis in the series. Pretty fascinating read that I recommend to others. I didn’t realize that Adam and Eve had a third son, Seth. Again this shows my lack of knowledge of the Bible. One thing I am curious about is why was God pleased with Abel but not Cain (4.4-5). The notes indicate this was not explained. Another question, if Cain and Abel were the first offspring, then who was Cain afraid of in 4.14 (Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.”)? I’m assuming that he would be afraid of his ancestors here unless there are other people around by this time. However, there must have been another ancestral line somewhere considering he married someone.
7/3 Reading (Genesis 1-3; Luke 1)
First day reading the Bible. I will find it really challenging to NOT read all of the footnotes as well as the introduction to each book. But reading the introduction will be really helpful for this endeavor.
Intro to Genesis: So, here are my thoughts on the introduction to Genesis. First, I have heard and read in several places that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all believe in the same God. It was good to see in the intro that all three “lay claim to the characters and stories of Genesis, each with their distinct understanding of the meaning of this important book of beginnings” (p. 7). Pretty cool stuff. I had no idea that the authorship of the Pentateuch wasn’t attributed to Moses until after his lifetime. That’s pretty interesting. Fascinating reading about when Genesis was written on pages 7-8. I’ve heard and read many times that Moses is the author of the first five books. So this kinda surprised me: “Nevertheless, we do know that the book was written over centuries by multiple authors, and we have a more specific and assured picture of the final stages of its composition” (p. 8). This makes me wonder why is it that many people argue that Moses was the author. Why is this so important?