Tag: Science

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9/11 Reading (Deuteronomy 19-21; Acts 27)

Two interesting sources to read along with this reading (here and here):

These above sources directly relate to Deuteronomy 20. Scientists have found what happened to the Canaanites: they weren’t destroyed. At least not completely. DNA evidence shows that “90 percent of the genetic ancestry of people in Lebanon came from the Canaanites” (Washington Post article). That’s cool. I also think it’s cool that this came out while I’m reading the Bible. I think I would’ve paid attention to this story, but it wouldn’t have meant as much to me as it does now if I weren’t doing this Bible study.

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8/23 Reading (Numbers 9-11; Acts 14)

I noticed something the other day during the eclipse. It was also something else that I experienced during a funeral recently. I’m starting to feel more spiritual. I can’t really explain it, but I’ll try. I have always been good at distinguishing science and religion and that’s not changing. The thing that is changing is that I’m feel that I’m able to appreciate things in a different way than I could before. I’m having a hard time putting into words that make sense, so I’ll have to come back to this throughout the process. Let me share a picture from the eclipse, that should help:

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8/12 Reading (Leviticus 13-15; Psalms 19-21)

NOTE: I still struggle with the psalms. I’m really having a hard time reading these. First, I’ve always had trouble reading poetry and these are written in that format. Second, I need some help reading these. I’m not sure if I’m overthinking this or what, but these are really challenging to me.

Leviticus 13: A full chapter on how to treat people who may or may not have leprosy. No wonder why people were so fearful of people with leprosy. Based of the notes what was referred to as leprosy is not the same as modern day leprosy. I do wonder if this type of affliction was common during this time frame?

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7/28 Reading (Exodus 16-18; Luke 20)

Exodus 17 is where we hear about Moses striking a rock and getting water. In his first sermon on science and faith back in 2014, Father Kevin preached about this part of scripture. I put a little bit below, but will do a post on his sermons at a later date.

Exodus 16: Second crisis for the Israelites: lack of food. God decides to rain bread on them, but he decides to test them. He tells the people that they need to gather as much food as they need for each day, but no more. Then on the 6th day, they will take enough for that day and the sabbath. At twilight they eat meat, and the morning they gather their bread for the day. Some people try to hoard some bread on the first day and it goes bad. Some also try to gather food on the sabbath. God gets angry because some people fail to listen to him. They seem to at least learn for now. We also learn that they are in the wilderness for 40 years.

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7/25 Reading (Exodus 7-9; Luke 17)

I feel that something may have finally clicked while reading the Gospel reading for today.

Exodus 7: This chapter starts with God telling Moses to take Aaron and see the Pharaoh. God tells Moses to have Aaron turn the staff into a snake in front of the Pharaoh as well as turn the Nile water into blood and kill off all the fish. Turning the water into blood is the first plague (the text refers to this as marvels, not plagues). Pharaoh’s magicians are able to match this, so his “heart hardens” as God said it would. Before turning the water into blood Aaron also turns his staff into a snake. I find it interesting that Aaron is the one doing these things, not Moses. I know that Moses said earlier that he couldn’t speak well, but here it seems like he’s more like a figurehead. I know that doesn’t end up being the case, but if you just look at this chapter, it definitely seems to be this way.

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7/13 Reading (Genesis 28-30; Luke 9)

Genesis 28: This is about Isaac telling Jacob to not marry a Canaanite woman. On his trip to find a wife, he has a dream and God speaks to him: “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; ¹⁴ and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. ¹⁵ Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Gen 28.13-15) This is similar to what God said to Abraham. Just an interesting observation.

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7/12 Reading (Genesis 25-27; Luke 8)

NOTE: I had a lot to say on this reading today.

Genesis 25: In this chapter Abraham remarries and has many children with his new wife. Abraham then dies and is buried with his first wife, Sarah. The text then explains Ishmael and his descendants followed by Isaac and his descendants, twin boys named Esau and Jacob. While Esau was a strong and gifted hunter, Jacob was clearly smarter and cleverer than Esau. At the end of this chapter, Jacob makes Esau give over his birthright for food.

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7/10 Reading (Genesis 19-21; Luke 6)

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.”

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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.

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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).

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