Genesis Chapters 5&6 — Some Mysteries

In our weekday Bible study of the book of Genesis, we can to some interesting questions about chapters 5 and 6. Chapter 5 lists the genealogy of Adam’s line. If you read through this chapter, you will notice how long these folks lived. Methuselah (you’ve probably heard about him) lived to be 969! How could this be? There’s plenty of speculation. Some of the suggestions are:

*Humans were purer genetically at this point in time, and there was less disease so they lived longer

*No rain had fallen yet on the earth, and the expanse of water above protected people from harmful environmental factors that hasten aging

*God gave these early humans longer life spans so that they would have more time to populate the earth

*They didn’t really live this long, they measured time differently

Here’s another mystery. Enoch, one of the descendants of Adam lived only 365 years — “he walked with God; then he was no more” Genesis 5:24. What happened to Enoch? The phrase “walking with God” is generally used in the Bible to describe someone very righteous. But did God actually take him for some reason? Or did he simply disappear, and those left behind made an assumption based on his character?

Finally, in chapter 6, we read:

“… the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” Genesis 6:2

Who were these sons of God? Some believe they were angels. Others suggest that the sons of God were the descendants of Adam while the daughters of man were descended from Cain.

In these and many other matters in the Bible, all we can say is that we really don’t know. God doesn’t give us every detail because that isn’t what’s important. The focus of the Scripture is God’s plan and how it will be fulfilled — and the answer to that question is Jesus.

For more about the studying the Bible see these posts:

A New Way to Study

The Greatest Bible Study

How to Study(according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

The Protoevangelium

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

If you study the book of Genesis (which I’m doing in my weekday Bible study), in the third chapter you will come to the above quote, which theologians refer to as the protoevangelium. This is a compound of two words, “protos” meaning first and “evangelion” meaning good news or gospel. Spoken by God, they contain the first promise of redemption. You might say that the rest of the Bible flows from this promise.

Satan is the enemy, and the phrase “you will strike his heel” refers to the repeated attempts of Satan to conquer Christ during his life on earth. “He will crush your head” foreshadows the defeat of Satan by Christ when He rose from the grave. It is important to note that a strike to the heel is not deadly, but a crushing blow to the head is. In this very early verse, God is already revealing His plan to rescue humanity.

For more posts about Satan see:

The Devil’s “D” Words

The Devil Made Me Do It!

Resist the Devil

Plan to Read the Bible

Have you ever decided you wanted to read the entire Bible? Without a good plan, you’ll probably bog down somewhere around Leviticus and give up. If you have a good study Bible, check in the back — often you will find a plan there. If not, you might try what I’ve been using recently–the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne (sometimes spelled McCheyne) was a 19th century Scottish minister. His plan was developed to help people read through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year, and the Old Testament once. It involves reading about 4 chapters per day.

I began using it as part of my daily devotions because it is included with a book I recently reviewed: Be Thou My Vision by Jonathan Gibson–Book Review. However, you can download a copy at: M’Cheyne Reading Plan-Robert Murray M’Cheyne.

An app is also available for purchase at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-mcheyne-plan/id1577234350.

It’s not too late to make a resolution for 2022 — read the Bible this year.

For more Bible study resources see:

The CSB Worldview Study Bible

The CSB Study Bible for Women – Book Review

AFLC 2019 Bible Study for Women

What Stands Out –the Book of Genesis

In my last post, I wrote about the importance of supporting God’s house, the church. This verse reminds me that God although we meet God during corporate worship, He’s not limited to any place or building.

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Genesis 28:16b

After Jacob cheats his brother Esau out of his birthright and blessing, he flees to Haran to escape his wrath. That evening, he has a dream in which he sees a staircase to heaven, and he experiences the presence of God. God is with us every day as well. How have you seen God this week? It might be a good question to ask oneself on a regular basis.

Maybe you saw God in another person — someone who helped you, or someone who loves you. Maybe you saw God in nature — a beautiful sunset or a powerful storm. Maybe you met God during a time of private reading and devotion. Maybe you felt God touch your heart during prayer. God is everywhere, all the time, but like Jacob, we’re caught up in our own “stuff” (it’s usually not good stuff, either) and we fail to notice Him.

So take a page from those old Dick and Jane readers some us used back in elementary school –Look! Look! Look! God never forsakes us, and He’s with you right now if you just take the time to really see.

For more about the presence of God see these posts:

Have You Seen Jesus?

Divine Blessing and the Fullness of Life in the Presence of God by William R. Osborne–Book Review

Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this Place

What Stands Out–Nehemiah

Recently I’ve been using the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan to read several chapters of the Bible each day. Because I’ve become used to reading in a slow, meditative way (lectio divina), I’m finding that even when I read more quickly, certain things stand out. Here’s what stood out for me in the book of Nehemiah.

“We will not neglect the house of our God.” Nehemiah 10:39b

In case you don’t know, or don’t remember, the book of Nehemiah is the last historical book in the Old Testament, and it is a record about how the Jewish people returned to Jerusalem after their captivity in Babylon. They rebuilt the walls of the city and revived the worship life of the nation. Reestablishing the temple required sacrifice. The people (according to God’s law) were to give a tithe (one-tenth) of all they produced for the support of the Levites (their priests) and to maintain the place of worship. After 40 years of exile, they were more than willing to do this.

This verse makes me think about my own commitment. Of course, this does mean money. Am I happy to give one tenth of my income to take care of God’s house? Or do I sometimes regard this as a hardship? Do I think of supporting the chuch as a joy and a privilege, or do I grouse about how little others give? Do I give my first fruits, or just what I have left over after doing what I want to do?

We can neglect the house of God in other ways, too. During this time of the pandemic, many of us have become accustomed to avoiding church services. Watching the Pastor preach on Zoom or YouTube services may be better than nothing, but should not become a continual substitute for meeting together, as Paul urges us to do in the book of Hebrews:

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ….” Hebrews 10:24-25a

Meeting together encourages us to love and serve others. It fosters accountability and Christian action; it reminds us that we are not alone in our Christian walk. How lucky we are to have a church building and a church family!

In our country, it’s easy to take our churches for granted. I do it sometimes, and you probably do, too. The people of Nehemiah’s time knew what it meant to enjoy God’s law in God’s house. Take a page from their book — don’t neglect the house of the Lord. It’s a privilege we should never take for granted.

For more about the church see:

Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered by James C. Wilhoit

We (the Laity) Are the Church

Do I help or hurt the Church?

A New Way of Seeing

In my Via de Cristo reunion group, one of the questions we ask ourselves each time we meet is “what was the most helpful Spiritual insight from your study?” This week I’ve been reading a book about spiritual formation, and I came across this idea which struck me in a profound way:

“A Filipino-American pastor told me that American society views most of the members of his congregation as ‘machine people.’ Such people are invisible to busy professionals, who view them as merely an extension of service machinery that performs the duties we need done. They are an extension of dish washing, dry cleaning, or hotel services. He challenged me to simply pay attention to these invisible ‘machine people’ that I, as he correctly predicted, encounter every day and yet overlook. He urged me, as an act of following Jesus to engage these people with eye contact, affirmations, and questions about their lives or well-being.” From Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered by James C. Wilhoit

How often do we take for granted the people who serve us as we go about our daily errands and chores? The clerk at the grocery store, the UPS delivery man, the librarian at the circulation desk. Sometimes a simple and heart felt expression of thanks or interest in them as fellow human beings will make a big difference to their attitude and their day. Then there are the homeless we pass by without a thought. They are our brothers and sisters as well. My husband and I have started passing out ‘goodie-bags’ with some food, socks, and personal care items. I’ve been blessed to begin really seeing these folks, and their gratitude touches my heart.

The author states that developing a new way of seeing people is the first step in loving them, and love is the greatest commandment. Even if we are called to do “big things” for God, we must begin by being kind and available to those we meet every day.

So, here’s my challenge to you (and myself) going forward. Put on your God-goggles and see like Jesus.

For more posts about kindness see:

A Kind Word

Dare to be Kind by Lizzie Velasquez–Book Review

Be Kind at Christmas

Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself

I’ve been doing a lectio divina study of the works of John and this week I read his second letter. This is what jumped out for me:

“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God…” 2 John 9a

John is cautioning his readers (and us) about false teaching. I don’t know about you, but I’m easily attracted to something new — the latest style, a novel recipe, a unique way of looking at the world. There’s nothing wrong with curiosity, or with shaking up our usual routines now and then. However, when it comes to the faith, we must make sure we stick to the foundational truths.

In order to do this, we must first know the truth. That means studying the Bible, and also knowing something about theology. Yes, this can be difficult — I sometimes accuse my Pastor husband of giving me a headache when he tries to explain doctrinal concepts to me–but as someone once said, “if you don’t know where you stand, you’ll fall for anything.” We’ve recently been studying the trinity, and some of the ideas that sound right to my human understanding — for example, that the three members of the trinity each have a different function– is actually a heresy known as modalism. God is one, the trinity is a unity, and each member is involved in everything God does.

We can “run ahead” for other reasons as well. Sometimes a new idea is just what our itching ears want to hear — things like God wants to bless us by making us healthy and wealthy (the prosperity gospel–another heresy). Or we crave the new because it gives us a spiritual “high” at least for a while. We forget that our faith is tested and matured through trials. Maybe we bounce around from church to church seeking the most charismatic leader or preacher — when what we need to grow is to root ourselves in a Christian community and bloom where we are planted.

We need to remember that running ahead can lead to false teaching and false teaching leads to our word for the month: SIN. So don’t get ahead of yourself. Study the Word until you know the Word. Understand the theology behind what you believe. Test the spiritys. Be committed to your congregation and serve the community. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

For more lectio divina study see:

Deceiving Ourselves

Honor Everyone

James Chapter 2 — What Stands Out

The Attributes of God part 2

I posted earlier about the class I’ve been taking on the attributes of God (The Attributes of God). In that post, I listed the characteristics of God that are incommunicable — unlike anything human. Now I’ll turn to the communicable attributes of God — those things that can be seen (although imperfectly) in us.

1. Omniscience/omnipotence– God is everywhere and knows everything. Our knowledge is learned, but God’s is complete and innate. He is completely wise, completely trustworthy
2. Goodness, love and mercy. These qualities of God are shown most fully at the cross. God saves us in order to change us, to make us more like Jesus.
3. Holiness, righteousness and justice. We all have a sense of right and wrong, but if there is no God, there is no right or wrong. God’s ethical purity is in contrast to our sinfulness.
4. Jealousy, wrath. These qualities take place in relationship to an offense against the majesty of God. The purpose is to protect us from sin and evil, to perfect our covenant relationship with Him.

You may wonder why it is important to study the attributes of God ( I did). Our teacher (my husband), explained that without a clear understanding of Who God is, we will can easily fall into heresies of different sorts.

The last section of this class dealt with the trinity — I’ll cover that in another post.

For more about the attributes of God see:

The Blind Men and the Elephant

The Holiness of God–R.C. Sproul–Book Review

The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers — Book Review

A Glimpse of Heaven

Because the 4th and 5th chapters of the book of Revelation have been coming up in different ways in my study life, I decided to do a lectio divina reading of this text. In chapter 4, here’s what stood out for me:

“After this, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven!” Revelation 4:1a

How amazing and wonderful that God would allow John (and us) a glimpse of the world to come! The description of heaven is, well, unworldly. Like nothing ever seen before. John uses words that describe valuable gems, robes of pure white, golden crowns and crystal. Imagine the most ornate and beautiful throne room and multiply that image by a million. The eyes are dazzled.

The animals around the throne are also only “like” the ones we know on earth– a lion (majesty), an ox,(strength) a man (intelligence) and an eagle (sovereignty). They are covered with eyes–maybe denoting that in heaven things will be seen completely and clearly. There are hints of the natural world, too– thunder, lightening, a rainbow. The kinds of things that produce awe in us, even here and now.

Everything is about the worship of God. This reminds me of the Santus, a hymn that used during many Christian liturgies:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts,
heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Glory be to thee, O Lord most high.
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

When you worship on Sunday, remember the communion of saints — those in heaven are worshipping right along with us! Keep that beautiful glimpse of heaven with you for the rest of the week!

For more about heaven see:

Heaven is a World of Love by Jonathan Edwards — Book Review

90 Minutes in Heaven — Movie Review

Living in Heaven

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His Commandments

I’ve come to the last chapter of 1 John in my lectio divina study, and here’s what stands out for me:

“…his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3b

Many worldly people believe that to become a Christian, to submit to God’s will, would impact their life in a negative way. How boring to spend free time reading the Bible, praying, and going to worship services! How dull to be barred from behaviors that our society considers acceptable! Life would not be fun at all!

When our children were young, we tried to stress the truth that following God’s rules was not meant to be a punishment, but would make our lives easier. We might miss out on some momentary “fun” but the rewards were far more important. We would have better relationships, a support group in our church family, peace during difficult circumstances, and more. Better yet, at the end of our lives, we would not have too many regrets.

In the book of Matthew Christ tells us:

“ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

That yoke is really simple, in fact it boils down to one word: love. Love God and love one another. The more you practice love, the easier it will be. And the rewards are great.

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.” Romans 6:23

For more about obedience see these posts:

A Long Obedience In the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson — Book Review

Walking in Obedience

Obedience?

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